Special Forces
by Sinkme
Summary: AU Xover Naruto/NCIS. What if shinobi were hired by the government to work as special forces? Jenny as Director, Itachi is 13, pre-massacre. Focuses on Gibbs, Jenny, and Itachi during the NCIS episodes Twilight and Kill Ari I and II.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Maintenance:

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

I never planned to write this. I've been toying with the idea for quite some time but I didn't really have an idea for where to go with this. It was an interesting thought to have ninja in today's world, cooperating secretly with the governments and I couldn't let it go.

This is AU- there are ninja working for the government for crying out loud- so some things are different.

So here it is. I don't expect many people to read this but I had to get it down so I could focus on other things.

Chapters edited and re-posted 3/9/12

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Director, Jennifer Shepard has arrived" the voice of his assistant informed him.

"Send her in please, Cynthia" he replied.

"Yes, Director."

He sighed, he would miss parts of this job, but the promotion was too good to pass up, and the agency needed some new blood. He had a feeling that Jenny would be the one to shake NCIS up and see some results.

A red headed woman entered the room, walking confidently to his desk. "Director Morrow," she greeted him with a smile. "It's been too long."

"It has been," he agreed amiably. "But I'm sure you know that I didn't ask you here to catch up."

"Of course not, sir," she sat as he did, her tone changing to strictly business.

"I'm sure you've already heard of my promotion," he gave her a smirk. Her connections in agencies in both the United States and abroad were rather well known to the higher-ups.

"Yes, and NCIS will be sad to see you go, but your promotion was definitely earned," Jenny replied smoothly.

Morrow nodded and continued, "It's been a rather quiet couple of weeks, nothing too out of the ordinary, but I've received intel that that is going to change sometime soon, so I brought you here earlier than I planned to ease the transition. I think you would be better suited than I am to deal with what's coming."

Her brows furrowed, "And what is coming, Director?"

"I know you've done a couple of ops with Mossad and their agents, so you're familiar with them, yes?" He asked, although he already knew the answer.

At her confirmation he plowed on, "Recent chatter has suggested that one of their operatives isn't as loyal as they thought he was."

"Is he here?" she asked, concerned as to how this would affect NCIS.

"Supposedly," Morrow paused. "This operative has a particular...history...with the MCRT unit."

Jenny blew out a breath, connecting the dots, "Jethro's team. What happened?"

"The operative was sent undercover by Mossad to infiltrate Hamas with the intention of getting into Al-Qaeda. It appeared to have been successful. But during that time, the mole brushed up against NCIS a couple times. We had the body of a Hamas agent that they needed to recover. He was sent to retrieve it. It wasn't pretty."

Jenny snorted, "I bet that's an understatement."

Morrow nodded, "Of the century. Dr. Mallard and his assistant Gerald were taken hostage in Autopsy. An agent, Caitlin Todd from Gibbs' team, had to deliver the evidence from the scene to Autopsy and she was also taken hostage. It ended with a SWAT team storming the room after Jethro went down alone and unarmed. He took a shot to the shoulder and the undercover agent got away."

Jenny nodded, "So Jethro is obsessed with finding the agent. He's not one to let things go."

Morrow gave a small laugh, "One of his best and worst traits. We weren't made aware of the agent's status until after that, and it was kept completely secret from Gibbs' team. Couple months after that, he turned up in DC again, buying illegal missiles and training a small group of suspected terrorists. They kidnapped Agent Todd and asked her help in identifying Air Force One, since she used to be Secret Service."

Jenny looked shocked at that, "I didn't hear anything about that."

"Of course not, Jenny. It ultimately failed, and they were all caught. It was reported as a drug bust. In a private meeting between Jethro and the agent after that affair, he walked away with the same injury Gibbs had after the hostage situation here, but the official stance on the meeting is that it never took place."

"Of course it is. I assume Jethro would never take advantage of that in order to shoot an undercover agent in the shoulder for revenge," she seemed to be both amused and annoyed. "So now, we've received word from Mossad that he might not be as loyal to them as they previously believed, and more importantly, they believe he is coming back to DC." Jenny contemplated the situation, "Who gave us that information?"

Morrow shrugged, "It came from the Director's office. But it wasn't the Director, and when I questioned him he signed off. "

Jenny agreed, "Mossad has always been secretive. When I did ops with them I was always working with the bare minimum: case facts, contacts, you name it. Most of the time the only reason I wasn't flying blind into the situation was my partner," she gave a small smile in remembrance.

Morrow caught it, "Ah yes, Ziva David."

"That's her," Jenny said with another small smile.

"Which brings us to the other, rather large problem with the undercover agent."

Jenny didn't like that at all, but Morrow cut across her before she could speak.

"It's not her. But she's the control officer assigned to the agent."

Jenny sat back against the chair, "Well I wasn't expecting that. Ziva is more of a field agent than a control officer. Although if it was the alternative to sitting out on the operation I can see why."

Morrow shook his head, "She requested the assignment. The agent in question is Ari Haswari."

She sucked in a breath, "Ari?" Morrow actually looked surprised, "You know him?"

"Barely," she said, still shocked. "He's her older half-brother. When Ziva and I worked together they often remained in contact, even when they were both on missions. They established most of the safe houses that we used across the country and they frequently shared intel regardless of the classification. I only met him once, and briefly at that. He's definitely not what I expected, but at the same time, he was more impressive."

Morrow digested her information, "Certainly a dangerous character then. Trained by Mossad, and in league with Hamas and possibly al-Qaeda."

"I don't know him well enough to say whether or not he could betray Mossad and Israel. I know there's no lost love between him and Deputy Director David, especially after his mother died. According to Ziva, Eli was never close to any of his children. But where Eli left a void, Ziva stepped in. They are extremely close, which makes it hard for me to believe he would betray them, since it would mean betraying her."

"You don't have to believe it, Jenny. No matter how it turns out, you need to be able to separate those feelings and act appropriately."

Her eyes flashed at the challenge, "I am well aware of what duty means, Director."

He nodded, not at all insulted or surprised at her reaction, "I know, Jenny. That's why I picked you to fill my chair."

She let the surprise wash over her features, but he wasn't fooled. If she had heard about his promotion already then she certainly knew why he had called her here today.

That's why he savored what was to come. He pushed the intercom, "Cynthia." "Yes, Director." "Make sure I am not disturbed. No calls unless it's a matter of national security, and certainly no visitors. Get a security guard if you feel the need, but Jethro is in the field today so I doubt he'll come knocking."

"Of course, Director." Satisfied, he turned to Jenny.

"Now for something that you need to know," he looked at her seriously. "This is a secret beyond being classified. Only a small number of people know what I'm going to tell you, so before you hear it, I need a definite answer."

Jenny's face was carefully neutral, but he could tell she was interested, "I will gladly fill your shoes as Director of NCIS."

"Good," he smiled. He looked over her shoulder, and she turned to look as well. She was about to ask what they were looking at when he spoke again.

"Weasel. Please show yourself now." She couldn't help it; she flinched back and gasped in shock. Where before there was only an empty room, now a figure stood in the corner, the shadows pulling at him like he was part of them.

Beyond words, she turned back to Morrow. "Everyone reacts that way at first, Jenny." He stood, walking towards the figure and gestured for it to move closer.

"ANBU Weasel, this is Jennifer Shepard, the new Director of NCIS." Still shocked, Morrow gently tapped Jenny on the shoulder and she hastily stood, uncertain if she should greet the figure or not.

She was saved a moment later, "It is a pleasure to serve you, Madam Director." The figure spoke with a definite masculine voice, although it wasn't as deep as she thought it should be.

She could only weakly nod as she inspected him in the light. There wasn't much that was visible. The hooded white cloak hid everything but his face, which bore a bone white mask with red markings on the front. An animalistic nose protruded from the mask, and the two eyeholes were dark, giving no indication of his eye color.

She gathered from the silence that they were waiting for something, so she took a moment to ensure her voice was level and strong. "Thank you, ANBU Weasel. I look forward to working with you in the future."

At a nod from the Director, Weasel inclined his head in both their directions and brought his hands together in an odd way before disappearing silently. Seeing that, Jenny lost the little composure she managed to scrape together, and fell back into her chair, staring at the spot where there was once a person.

Morrow chuckled quietly as he sat back down in his chair as well. She wheeled around to face him, her shock gone in favor of anger. "You wanna tell me what the hell that was?"

Morrow wasn't fazed, "It is up to each outgoing Director, Head, and President to inform their replacement of the existence of those Special Forces. Director Bennett told me in the same way I am telling you now. He laughed at my reaction, I couldn't deprive myself of the same entertainment, and it is one of the more effective introductions."

Still angry, but now a little confused as well, Jenny opted for silence. Morrow continued, "No one really knows how long they've been in existence, but they were first discovered in the late 1800's. There were brief encounters with them before that, strange occurrences that can be traced back to them, but the first concrete meeting was sometime during that time. Before that they had lived as the Indians did; untouched by the outside.

"They live in a village, dependent on themselves and with their own government and council to keep order. There are other villages like them and they all fight amongst themselves for power, land, and access to merchants and trade routes. We only know this because they told us; no one has found the villages yet and they still live there. We think they originated in Asia, but no one is sure.

"During the 1880's and '90's they came into closer contact with our world. Especially as the superpowers extended their control over many territories. Their abilities remained a secret, but they began to take on outside jobs- construction work and the like. And they stayed out of notice, but remained a curiosity to the governments in the countries where they popped up. People could tell that there was something different about them, but apparently they can blend in when they're not in uniform.

"Anyway, the jobs started to gain more attention. People started hiring them for revenge after word got around that they had special skills. All of a sudden there were murders that have almost no evidence, and priceless objects that were hidden or protected went missing. The governments put two and two together and sent emissaries to ask around for them, under the pretense of hiring them for a job.

"This happened over a span of thirty years, so some countries were made aware of their existence sooner than others. We were among the last of the superpowers, so far as we can tell. World War I was stirring around that time, and large numbers of them were hired by the warring governments as mercenaries to fight, and sent them on secret missions."

He paused, giving Jenny a minute to digest the information. "What kind of abilities do they have?" she asked eventually.

"I'll get there in a moment. It's important to understand their history- or what we know of it- before that. It was almost impossible for any normal soldier to stand against them, and seeing the disadvantage, the Allies recruited them as well.

"After the war, they kept in contact, seeing how lucrative their previous jobs were, and there was a high demand for their skills. It was much of the same thing for World War II, and it wasn't until President Kennedy's assassination that we started to look into other possibilities where they were concerned.

"After that, it became standard to leave one or two of them as a guard with the President, although the Secret Service agents don't know about it- just their Director. Then, with the end of the Cold War, President Reagan contracted more and informed the Directors of their presence. They've become their own branch of the military, although you won't find any records of them anywhere. We know that most of the other superpowers have adopted a method similar to ours, since there has been no mention of them aside from what we hear from our operatives."

"I still don't understand," Jenny said. "Who are they?"

Morrow smirked, "They are shinobi." At her blank look he continued, "_Ninja._"

He held up a hand to stifle her response, "I am entirely serious, Jen. They refer to themselves as shinobi, and after what I've seen, there's nothing else to describe it. The things they can do..." he was at a loss for words and shrugged a shoulder.

"By all of our definitions it's impossible. One of their stipulations- aside from complete secrecy- was an oath that they served their military capacity only. No experiments, no testing, no measuring. Can't say I blame them."

She still looked skeptical and he gestured to the corner once more, "You saw it yourself, Jenny." She turned to look once more, as if to assure herself that it was still empty. Admitting defeat, she asked instead, "But what does that have to do with us?"

"SecNav doesn't want things with Mossad blowing up in our faces. Our relationship with them has to remain good, but he'd rather not have it come at a cost to this agency or any other. Previously we've had little use for the shinobi. Aside from guarding the Director, they have occasionally been sent out to monitor missions or cases that have been deemed risky or of high importance.

"Part of the problem is that they have to maintain a low profile. They have their methods to avoid detection, but there's always the chance of something going wrong. As far as NCIS is concerned, they're an absolute last reserve. It's why I held back during the Autopsy hostage situation, and with several other high profile cases. With your field experience, though, you might be able to make better use of their skills than I did."

Still overwhelmed, Jenny waited for Morrow to continue. "ANBU Weasel will be your guard for the time being. If there is a change he will alert you and introduce you to his replacement- it'll be someone from his team. His codename is Weasel, ANBU is his rank, and he is the captain of his team. It's an extremely high level from what I have understood.

"It's rather complicated because they still operate out of their villages, so they answer to their leader and to the President, and whoever they are assigned to. For the moment, there are no other operatives at NCIS, although Weasel has his team on standby should the need arise."

Jenny recovered her voice, "How old is he? His voice sounded like it hadn't finished cracking yet."

Morrow gave a sigh, his shoulders falling slightly. "That's one of my biggest problems with the program," he said softly. "From my best guess, Weasel is thirteen at the oldest."

"Thirteen?" Jenny yelled, surprised, although she had suspected he was young. "What place does a thirteen year old have in this?" He could hear another question- _how is a thirteen year old qualified for this_, but only answered her spoken query.

"They aren't a talkative bunch, especially when it comes to their village or their lives there. But from what I've heard from the other Directors, Weasel is one of the youngest ever. Most aren't involved until they reach the appropriate rank- usually in their late teens, early twenties. The fact that Weasel achieved such a rank at his age shows how much talent and drive he has."

Jenny wasn't pleased, but remained silent. Morrow stood again and Jenny followed suit, sensing the change. "Well, Jenny, I've given you a lot to think about, but the best way to figure it out is to talk to Weasel later. I will be officially handing over the title to you at the end of the week, so I want you back every day so we can cover everything and get you acquainted with your duties. See you tomorrow at 0500." They shook hands again, and Jenny left the NCIS building, her mind spinning, and she knew she wouldn't sleep much tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The week progressed quickly and Jenny felt very comfortable in her new role. She was extremely grateful to Morrow for coaching her throughout the week- his last week- to make it easier on her.

Friday was his last official day and the ceremony and swearing in would take place over the weekend so she could start with a new week. They didn't mention the shinobi again that whole week, although Jenny ached to.

There was no one she could turn to for confirmation or to answer any of her questions at the moment. The secrecy behind the entire operation made it clear that only those with clearance could be told, so she could contact the other Directors, but something kept her from actually doing it.

Call it pride, stubbornness, whatever you will; Jennifer Shepard didn't call in the big guns until it was necessary. And even then it was with great reluctance and some kind of leverage to tilt the conversation in her favor.

She didn't get to be Director of NCIS without learning the importance of information and the rules of the political game she was officially entering. The ceremony was a big deal, lots of pomp and circumstance, oath making, and swearing in. Many other directors, agents, and politicians were there and she spoke with as many as possible as soon as she was able. It was better to get a feel for the people she would be dealing with firsthand.

The directors of both the FBI and CIA were polite to a fault, their comments always a double-edged sword, searching for a weakness in this new female director.

She rebuffed them, threw a few barbs of their own, and the three parted ways, wry smiles of anticipation worn by all.

When it came to a close, Morrow herded her back to NCIS and she followed him to his- _her_- office.

It was cleared of his personal effects, it had been an ongoing project during the week, and her boxes were stacked on the ground next to the desk. She was surprised to see Weasel sitting on the couch in the office, and he stood immediately.

He gave a nod to both of them, "Director Morrow. Madam Director."

"At ease, Weasel. We will get this done so you and Jenny can better acquaint yourselves," Morrow said. He moved closer to the shinobi, and motioned for Jenny to stand on Weasel's other side.

"Good luck, Jenny. You'll be a fantastic director" he gave a joking smile. "Don't hesitate to put Jethro in line." Morrow turned to face Weasel, and both of his hands rested on the Director's face.

Jenny looked on; she had no idea what was going on. Weasel's hands glowed green and he whispered several words. She was worried now, unsure as to what was going on, but as she moved forward to stop it, Weasel dropped his hands and quickly disappeared.

Confused, she looked at Morrow, but there was no indication that anything was wrong. "Well, this is it Jenny," he said. "Good luck. You'll be a fantastic director." He smiled again; "Don't hesitate to put Jethro in line."

With a gentle pat on her shoulder, Director Morrow saw himself out of the office, leaving Jenny more confused than ever. She stood in the same spot for a minute before a voice pulled her out of it, "Close the door, Madam Director. I will explain everything now."

Her head whipped around to see Weasel standing where he had been only moments before and she jumped back. _I didn't even notice when he came back. He was right next to me and I didn't hear him._ Scared by his abilities, she decided it was best to close the door.

If he said he wanted to talk then he probably did; had he wanted to kill her he would have already done so. When she turned back to face him he was in the soldier's ready position; feet shoulder length apart, head up, arms bent at the elbow, and hands behind his back.

She hadn't really noticed earlier, but his white cloak was thrown over his shoulders and the hood was down, allowing her to see that he kept his hair long, with a few bangs of black hair framing his mask, and the rest pulled into a tail at the nape of his neck.

He wore the strangest arrangement of armor she had ever seen. It started with a sleeveless black body shirt that came up to his neck. Short black arm covers of the same material extended from his wrist to above his elbow and were secured with bandages midway up his upper arm. His shoulders were bare.

A large grey chest protector reached down to his hips was kept on with two shoulder straps. Grey arm guards covered his forearms and extended past his elbows although they were not secured on his upper arm, allowing him to bend his arm freely.

She shivered when she saw the hilt of what looked like a sword on his back- _why does he have that?_ She forced herself not to look at it, though.

Long black pants melted into strange black sandals and there were odd black straps that snaked up his calf, stopping just below his knee.

Fingerless gloves were on his hands; there were metal rectangles on the back. She could see several pouches on his legs and hips.

She could make out some kind of tattoo on his left shoulder, but he spoke before she could analyze it further.

"Part of our contract with your government assures us that we will remain a closely guarded secret. We have no wish to be pulled any further into outside affairs than we already are. As such, anyone who is not the current Director of a government agency attached to the military or intelligence branches, Head of a Department of the same fields in the White House, a member of the President's Cabinet in the same fields, a General of an armed force, or the President himself, will be unaware of our existence. Outgoing leaders who have fulfilled their roles are submitted to a technique of ours that erases the knowledge of us from their minds. When another is chosen to replace you, you will do the same as Director Morrow just did."

"You _erased_ something from his _mind_! How is that even possible?" she asked, aghast at this new information and the cool way in which it was delivered.

Weasel continued with an almost bored tone, "As I said, our techniques allow us to do many things. One of them is access the minds of others. Their cooperation is helpful, but unnecessary. Knowledge, in this case anything to do with me and others like me, can be...altered. Erased is not the proper term, forgive me." He paused but Jenny just waved him on.

"Very well. Director Morrow's meetings with any shinobi he may have encountered have been locked away behind a seal of our design. The seal will prevent him or anyone else from accessing those memories. Whenever possible, the technique simply represses the memory. It is not very hard, since the only time we are in contact with someone, is when they are alone, and the orders you give us are to remain off the record of your department. Director Morrow will not be able to recall any of us, and since our existence and our missions are only kept in a coded ledger by the guards to the President, there is no issue of paperwork. Missions detailed by individual directors are reported verbally directly by the shinobi executing the mission."

Jenny's eyes widened in shock, "How is it that nothing overlaps? It seems like a ridiculously roundabout way to take care of issues that could potentially threaten our national security."

She could hear the smirk in his voice when he answered, "Every ninja in the field has access to a universal scroll. We report our missions to the keepers of that scroll, and they add it to the mission list. No detail is spared, because everything has the potential to become vital. Before accepting a mission we are to check the scroll to ensure no other shinobi will be completing a similar mission."

"How are the directors apprised of the mission list?" she asked after that.

Again that damn smirk sound, "We do not share the contents of the scroll. If a mission overlaps we are only permitted to give the shinobi's base of location. We operate under the belief that if our individual clients need to be in the know, they will be kept informed by others in similar positions."

Jenny gave her own smirk, _Good. So there's still something for me to do. Now, assuming that most of the anonymous tips or classified missions that the other agencies claim were the source of the information are shinobi, that answers a lot. This will certainly be interesting, since the directors all know where the information came from but can only dance around the subject._ "So, what about foreign operatives?"

"Many other counties, both those that are allied with your country and those that are against your country, also have standing contracts with shinobi villages."

"Well that was a nice introduction, but keep talking Weasel, that didn't tell me anything I didn't already know," she raised her eyebrows and waited expectantly.

The smirk voice was back, "It is an interesting conflict, since the shinobi villages have been fighting for supremacy since the establishment of the villages. Even before that the clans fought each other-"

"Clans?" she interrupted.

He hesitated, but answered, "Most villages are made up of clans of families. Typically each clan has a specialization that separates them from other shinobi. People who are not from a clan can still be a shinobi; most people are born with chakra."

"And chakra is?" she interrupted again.

"I can not go into much detail, but it doesn't matter because you have passed the age where you could harness it. Chakra is what lets us do our techniques. It is a mixture of physical and spiritual energy that we learn to use through training."

"So it's like magic?" she quipped.

"No. It's nothing like magic," Weasel said coolly. "Because chakra is actually real."

Somewhat chastised, she tried again, "Is that why your hands were green earlier?"

"Exactly. That was my chakra being channeled into my technique."

"So the foreign operatives?" she reminded him. She fancied that she could hear a quiet sigh from him, but when he answered his voice was level, "With the establishment of the villages the fighting became more controlled. Each village established a base and attracted more shinobi to it.

"There is a civilian population that typically lives with the village and they can commission missions for the younger shinobi who are still in training. The elite shinobi are given the more difficult missions- assassinations, espionage, and tracking down traitors. And of course, there is a rotation schedule among those eligible for serving this contract."

"Why a rotation? And who commissions assassinations?"

This time there was a definite sigh, "Civilians, if they can afford it, can hire shinobi for a number of jobs. If a civilian village is threatened with invading shinobi, they can hire a friendly village to kill them. As for the rotation, it would not be prudent to leave a shinobi in his post for too long. Usually one to two years is a sufficient length of time. Otherwise training and fitness can suffer."

Now there was a definite sarcastic tone, "And we do have _families_ as well. I don't think they would appreciate it if we held our position here until we died."

She nodded her apology and changed the subject, "So Weasel is your codename, correct?"

"Yes. It would be unwise to tell you my real name. It is easier if attachments are not formed."

She gave her assent, although she wasn't particularly happy about it; calling someone 'weasel' didn't sit well with her. "Is this the beginning or end of your rotation?"

"Beginning, when it was decided that there was to be a new director, my team was given the rotation, and as captain I took the first shift."

"I see. How do I contact you?"

"I will always be close by; you may call for me when you have need of me. But I should warn you that my vow to my village comes first. I am not to expose myself unless it is a last option or the situation demands my presence."

"Of course," she replied, although she wasn't too sure how she liked his answer that he'd 'always be close by.'

"There is one more thing," he hesitated and seemed genuinely nervous.

"Yes?" she asked, betting that she wouldn't like whatever was going to come. He pointed to his arm, turning it to show her the tattoo. It was an intricate swirl, and almost looked like a teardrop.

"You can identify us with this tattoo. Every shinobi that is able to serve a position with this contract will bear one. Men will have it on their left shoulder, women carry it on their right shoulder. And I have been ordered to show you my face as well, although if I am following you I will not appear as myself. I will always be following you when you are out, and if you notice me I will identify myself to you so you do not alert your other guards, although I doubt you will ever see me."

She caught the arrogance and realized it was to mask his nervousness at exposing his face. She didn't push him, and waited patiently as he brought a hand up to remove the painted mask.

It fell away with no strings or straps, but she didn't notice that. _He's so young!_ she thought sadly. It was definitely the face of a boy, and as Morrow said, thirteen at the oldest. His bangs fell to his cheeks without his mask there and his eyes were a shade of greythat she didn't think was possible.

He had lines on either side of his nose, and frown marks on his forehead and around his mouth. But his face was still soft, with a stubborn bit of baby fat left, filling his angular face only a little. By his current expression, she could tell that he was watching her carefully and she forced herself to be the Director and not Jenny when she spoke.

"Very good, Weasel. Is that everything?"

There was a shift in his eyes, something like gratitude, but it passed immediately, and he fixed his mask back in place. "That is all, Madam Director."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's a start. I have a couple more chapters but it won't continue long.

I don't plan on dragging this out

Always

Sinkme


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Maintenance:

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Gibbs walked into the bullpen on Monday morning he knew something was different. He couldn't really explain it, but that's why they called it a gut feeling.

He knew Morrow had left for his position with Homeland Security. They had said their farewells on Friday. Gibbs didn't do social functions so he wasn't at the party.

Besides, there would've been politicians and news people there to 'celebrate.' As much as he hated social functions, he hated politicians more.

As such, he had no idea who the new Director was. Morrow had dropped a hint that he would definitely enjoy whoever it was, and went to a lot of trouble to keep it a secret.

Gibbs didn't mind. He figured he'd know soon enough so he didn't bother to push the issue.

As he looked up from his desk, though, and watched the red headed woman walk down the stairs, he almost wished he had.

Some forewarning might have been nice.

He stood and walked over to meet her. "Jen," he said, a warning and a question in his voice.

"Hello Jethro," she smiled. "It's been too long."

He gave a laugh, "Always moving up, huh Jen?"

Her smile faltered for a moment, and he knew the barb struck, but she was already covering it up. "Well not all of us are content to remain a case agent for the rest of their life," she replied.

He read her eyes and backed down for the moment, "So, Jenny. Director of NCIS. Impressive. Hadn't heard from you in awhile."

She took the less personal route in answering his question, "I've been keeping a lower profile in the field. Need-to-know operations. I guess you didn't need to know."

He saw her eyebrow raise in challenge and a smirk lit up her face but he caught Kate coming from the elevator and changed the subject.

"I'll show you my team. You should know who you're sending out there," he turned her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Kate," he called. "Director Jennifer Shepard. Director, Special Agent Caitlin Todd."

"Very nice to meet you, Madam Director," Kate shook the offered hand.

A look flashed across Jen's face that he barely caught. It was familiar and yet he hadn't seen it before. He recognized the cover though.

She used that face when she was keeping a secret and needed to recover.

"Please, Agent Todd. Just Director Shepard or ma'am. Not Madam," she laughed to let Kate know it wasn't personal.

"Of course, ma'am," Kate agreed.

McGee walked in a moment later and Gibbs let Kate take care of the introductions as he observed Jen.

_She's changed._ The thought shocked him, although he knew it shouldn't. It had been years, after all. It wouldn't make sense if she had stayed the same, but it really drove home how long it'd been.

There was an easy and confident air about her that he knew she must have worked on. Her face, too, she'd been training. He could still read her but it wasn't as easy as it used to be. And to his agents who were just meeting her, he would bet that it was hard for them to see what she was hiding.

_Jen's always been good at keeping secrets. But she's crap at hiding the fact that she _knows_ something. Her face is still expressive, still open._

_But there's something guarded that wasn't there last time._

He was unsettled by this new Jen. This Director Shepard. But he'd be damned if he let it show.

DiNozzo walked in fifteen minutes later, giving him some half-ass excuse and he waved it off. Jen left a couple of minutes ago to meet the other teams, but he knew that Tony at least knew about her. He'd been here too long to have not heard her name connected to one of his old ops.

Tony knew that he and Jen had a history, and Gibbs was sure that Tony was a good enough investigator to fill in the blanks.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs called without looking up from the report he was reading.

"Yeah Boss?" he answered hesitantly, not sure if he'd be chewed out for being a little late.

Gibbs smirked, _it's good that I can still keep him guessing._ "New Director's over there." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and watched as DiNozzo stood and looked around.

He saw Jen but it took a moment for his face to light with recognition.

He looked back to Gibbs, who was finally looking up. "Really?" he drawled.

A sharp nod from Gibbs was all the answer he got, so Tony walked around his desk to go make his first impression and see what he could wheedle out from her.

Gibbs just shook his head as he heard Tony's voice floating back to them. His phone rang and he grabbed it before the first trill was over.

"Gibbs," he said. He listened for a moment before replying, "Got it."

He hung up and called to his team, "Gear up. Two Navy Lieutenants found dead on the side of the road." He locked his Sigin place at his hip, grabbed his phone and said, "Kate, grab the truck. McGee, grab DiNozzo."

He watched with a smile as his agents scurried along and he made his way to the elevator, catching the look that Jenny sent his way.

He just shrugged his shoulders. _You're the Director. Go figure it out. _Of course she'd be apprised of the situation as soon as she was back in her office.

But it was more fun this way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The crime scene was a mess. There didn't seem to be any indication of what fueled the murders, aside from the missing hands. Their wallets and other valuables were still there. No witnesses, and only an anonymous call to report the crime.

It wasn't too far off the road but it was an odd place to pull over. If they had indeed pulled over. The car hadn't sustained any significant damage to suggest that they were forced off the road.

The fatal gunshots to their heads indicated a close range between them and their killer or killers. It would have been somewhat straightforward, except for the fact that they were each missing their right hands. They had been cut off completely. It could be a serial killer, but Gibbs hadn't heard anything to suggest there was one in the area.

His best guess was that they were pulled over by someone or were already stopped for some reason and the killer approached them from behind. There had to have been a reason for the murders.

He wasn't really sure why the car was moved if that was the case, but at a yell he turned to see Kate and McGee running up the hill from the location of the car.

He heard Kate yell, "Bomb!" But that was all she managed to explain before a blast rocked the scene. He turned quickly, eyes searching for his agents.

"Tony!" Kate yelled. His heart stopped as he looked around and saw that DiNozzo wasn't there.

A moment later, though, he saw Tony crawl over the guardrail and he could breathe again. He called Ducky over and they all made their way quickly to check on Tony.

"What the hell happened?" Gibbs turned to McGee and Kate once he was sure that Tony was ok.

McGee started, "Well, um. We were, we were-"

Gibbs cut him off with a glare, his need for an answer outweighing his patience to listen to McGee attempt to finish a sentence.

Kate spoke up instead, "There was a snake on my foot. Tony pulled it off and made a joke about it so I pushed him back and he fell. McGee was opening the trunk when Tony yelled and jumped up.

"He kept a hand down on the trunk and said there was a bomb and that when McGee opened the trunk he had armed it. It would explode when the trunk opened the rest of the way and we couldn't attempt to disarm it. He told us to get up the hill and tell you and then, apparently, he detonated it."

Gibbs was furious and scared and he let his anxiety at almost losing his whole team bleed into his anger, "No one saw the bomb until then?"

Kate and McGee looked down, "No." "No, Boss."

"And then you let DiNozzo. DiNozzo! Who was just released from the hospital after having _plague_. Who came back early and who you both knew wasn't feeling one hundred percent yet. You let him detonate the bomb and run from the blast," Gibbs yelled.

Kate looked upset and McGee looked ashamed but Gibbs didn't really notice. He had several other problems to deal with.

"McGee, call the bomb squad. Kate, compile everything we had since the crime scene is gone now," he called as he walked back over to Tony.

He nodded to Ducky who gave him a light pat on the shoulder. Gibbs acknowledged the warning with another nod and he took a breath before addressing Tony.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked quietly, his voice hard.

Tony looked unrepentant, "Believe me, if there had been another way to do that, I would've done it. But the bomb was armed and McGee looked panicked. Besides," Tony puffed up a little. "It's my job as Senior Field Agent to protect my Probie. And Kate."

Gibbs gave a smile and patted DiNozzo lightly on the head, "That's good work, Tony."

They turned over what was left of the crime scene to the bomb squad and the local leo's once they arrived.

What little they had managed to collect and document they packed into the truck and then headed back to base.

He wasn't looking forward to explaining what had happened to Jen, so when he got back he ordered the team to do what they could and compile a list of possible suspects and motives.

He went out to grab a coffee.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The baristas knew his order by now and he had the exact change ready for them when he got his coffee. He left slowly, not in any rush to get back. Something caught his eye and he turned to examine it more closely.

A yellow sports motorcycle. He growled, eyes searching the crowd for the face of that bastard. _Ari._

"Agent Gibbs, how nice to see you again," the voice that had haunted him since that day in autopsy spoke from nearby. He turned carefully, his hand reaching to rest on his gun, but Ari put up his hands, frowning.

"No need for that, yet, Gibbs," Ari smirked and gestured to the other patrons of the coffee shop sitting at tables nearby. "We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, now would we?"

"Come, sit with me," he continued. "I promise to tell you where the bomb is if you do."

Gibbs didn't immediately jump at the offer, but after scanning the surrounding area he felt better that Ari was here alone, so he sat down opposite Ari, leaning back a little.

"What do you want, Ari?" he asked roughly, in no mood to play any games.

"I just wanted to ask after your team. I heard all sorts of nasty rumors about a car bomb and I was worried," Ari smiled nastily.

Gibbs jumped to the only conclusion that made sense to him, "You planted the bomb. Why?"

"Because I could," Ari smirked and leaned back. "I wanted to talk to you and I figured that would get your attention."

"Oh, you've got it now," Gibbs said tightly. "And you'll have it after I bring you in for double murder and the attempted murder of three federal agents."

"Now why would I let you do that?" Ari didn't look worried. "As I said, I just wanted to talk."

Gibbs wasn't listening, though, and instead had one hand on his gun while the other withdrew his cell phone.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Gibbs," Ari continued. He leaned in closer, lowering his voice, "You see, I guessed you might not want to talk, so I've hidden a bomb, or maybe two, I can't really remember. It's under one of the tables here."

He turned around to wave at a little girl who sat at a nearby table with her mother. "You sit there nicely and listen to what I have to say, and I'll tell you where it is."

His options cut off, Gibbs moved both his hands into view on top of the coffee table, "Talk then."

"Hamas is getting suspicious. And they want revenge on NCIS and you for interfering with their last project," Ari said, looking unconcerned. "They have ordered me to kill you."

Gibbs snorted, "I'm sure you're really broken up about it."

"Not really," Ari replied. "But I decided to tell you because I know you're a good little patriot. This is bigger than you. If I can convince them to trust me they'll tell me vital information. They're planning an attack soon."

Gibbs gnashed his teeth together, "You can bet I won't kill myself and help you out. You want me, come and get me." His voice turned deadly serious, "Leave my team out of this."

Ari merely shrugged and stood, "I had to make it look like I was trying, at least. I need to locate the cell and find their plans. Stay where you are until I'm gone."

"The bomb, Ari?" Gibbs reminded him.

Ari pulled on his helmet and lifted the face shield, "There isn't one. I lied." He revved his bike and sped away. Gibbs watched him go, and then looked frantically back to the other customers.

He checked under his table first, knowing that collateral damage of innocents would probably come later if Ducky's assessment of the terrorist was correct.

He grimaced when he saw the blinking light and carefully removed the bomb from under the table. He hid it in his jacket and walked briskly away from the shop, moving into a nearby alley before sprinting.

He glanced down and saw the ticker was almost at zero and pulled the bomb out, looking for somewhere he could put it to isolate the blast. Seeing a dumpster nearby, he chucked it in and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

The explosion wasn't very large, but it knocked him off his feet and he covered his head, breathing deeply and cursing Ari's name.

He called the police to get someone on the scene and promised to give his statement over the phone from NCIS when they called, then he headed back.

As soon as he was back in the bullpen his team bombarded him.

"Boss, FBI says-"

"Gibbs, where have you been?"

"Um, Boss, I tracked-"

"Gibbs!"

"One at a time," he growled, sitting behind his desk and looking at his agents expectantly, ignoring Fornell for the moment. DiNozzo cleared his throat and started, "A group has stepped forward claiming responsibility for the murders and the bomb."

DiNozzo hesitated but Gibbs answered glibly, "Yeah, DiNozzo. I know."

"This group is-" Tony began. "Wait. You know?"

"That's what I said," he replied.

Kate jumped in next, her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "How do you know? They _just_ called in."

"I heard it firsthand," he answered unhelpfully.

"Boss," Tony was serious now. "The group is a terrorist cell. One that the FBI just found out that Ari is running instead of infiltrating. You went out for coffee. How did you hear it?"

Gibbs shuffled through some papers and answered calmly, "Well, DiNozzo. Ari was at the coffee shop. Wanted to tell me something and claimed credit for the double murders and the bombs."

"When they called they told us what their next move would be. Said it wouldn't make a difference," Tony said at the same time Kate yelled, "_Bombs!"_

"There was only one bomb at the scene, Gibbs," she said hotly.

"Well, yeah, Kate. Ari's trying to kill me. Left a bomb at the coffee shop. I threw it down an alley. Local cops are dealing with it," Gibbs didn't even look up from his papers.

"Yeah, that's what I was gonna tell you, Boss," Tony said guiltily. He retreated back to his desk and picked up his phone, speaking quietly into it a moment later.

When Jen walked down the stairs a minute later he shot an irritated look at Tony, but he was unrepentant.

"You wanna explain the situation to me, Agent Gibbs?" Jenny stood in front of his desk, arms crossed and an angry expression on her face. Fornell moved next to her and Jen didn't stop him.

He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off, "Don't play cute, Jethro. I'll make it an order if I have to. I won't let this get out of control because you didn't feel like sharing all the relevant facts of this case."

He was very aware that they were having this conversation in the middle of the office, so he lowered his voice, "Ari claimed credit for the murders and the bomb. I ran into him at a local coffee shop two blocks southwest of here. He told me that he has orders to kill me to prove his loyalty and left a bomb at the scene, which I took care of. Local police are handling the scene. Meanwhile, I have two dead Lieutenants whose families have no reasonable explanation for their deaths yet."

Jen replied just as quietly, although her voice was still stern, "Agent Fornell informed us the moment they received the intel. Ari isn't loyal to Mossad. He's leading the Hamas cell and they're planning an attack. We need to stop them. I am closing the case on the Lieutenants. Their killers have come forward and we can offer nothing else to their families. Your priority is this attack."

"Gibbs," Fornell began, but Gibbs just raised a hand. "I know, Tobias. But I'm not sitting this one out."

"Then for the duration of this assignment, you will be under protective custody," Jen said, cutting across his loud complaint and beckoning someone over.

"I'm sure you know Agent Todd," Jen smirked. Gibbs groaned when he saw a matching smirk on Kate's face. "I hear she used to protect the President." Jenny's voice turned quite serious, "You will follow her orders and not take any chances or I will bench you. Is that understood, Agent Gibbs."

"Perfectly," Gibbs ground out. "Director."

Jen smiled, "Good." She gave Fornell a nod of thanks and walked out of the bullpen, heading back up to her office.

Gibbs watched her go, then turned to find Kate standing in front of him, a bullet-repellant vest in her hands. "No," he said strongly.

"This isn't an option, Gibbs," Kate said as she handed it to him. "You wear it, or you don't work. You hear Director Shepard."

He shot her a dirty look, "I'm not wearing it at my desk."

"Fine," she agreed smoothly. "But you wear it whenever you're not here."

He nodded but Kate pressed on, "_Whenever you're not here_, Gibbs. I don't care if you're just going for coffee."

"Fine, _Agent_ Todd," he growled. "Can we start investigating now?"

She acquiesced, and went back to her desk, bringing her computer screen up and starting the search once more for Ari.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Always

Sinkme


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

Maintenance:

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The order from the Director still rang in his head as he watched the team diligently; _keep a careful eye on them. If Ari is in the vicinity your primary objective is to disable him. Only act if it becomes clear that he presents a threat to Agent Gibbs' team. Their safety supersedes everything else._

He had shadowed teams before and so far there was nothing out of the ordinary. He watched as they split up after a brief gunfight; three of the agents headed into the building, and one remained by the car. He left a clone to watch Agent McGee and jumped to an adjacent building to get a clearer view of their roof.

He had other clones positioned around the area, posing as civilians and ensuring him a second option should the need arise. So far there was no sign of anyone else. He had been briefed on Haswari's abilities and scanned the other rooftops carefully, looking for anyone.

Something caught his eye, but there was a sudden explosion of gunfire and he quickly turned back to Agent Gibbs and his team. There was no reason to help them if Haswari hadn't been seen yet, and the agents seemed to be handling themselves. He heard another shot, different from the ones on the roof.

Another followed quickly and he waited for a clone to pass the knowledge to him. It came a second later and his eyes narrowed. Those shots hadn't come from the roof. They were sniper shots. Long distance. Aimed at Agent McGee. He stood, scanning the roofs once more, and saw what had bothered him before.

There was someone on that roof. He knew it. _Genjutsu. But who cast it?_ He activated his Sharingan and dispelled the illusion, surprise washing over his features. _Impossible._ He cursed as only Haswari was revealed, the sniper rifle poised and aimed at one of the agents on the roof.

He knew there was an enemy shinobi there with him. Haswari wasn't a shinobi, so someone had cast the genjutsu for him. Someone powerful if he was hidden by a secondary illusion and had avoided Itachi's detection for so long.

Enemy shinobi presence made it his problem. Protocols and Director Shepard's orders rushed through his mind, but he was already sprinting across the rooftop, chakra aiding his speed. Based on the angle of the rifle and the positioning of the agents on the roof, the female agent was most likely the target, although they were all standing so close that it could be any of them.

He leapt onto the roof, observing the conditions that could affect the shot and he checked with his Sharingan once more, ascertaining the path that the bullet was already taking as it crossed the distance to their position. Landing softly he rolled and got up, sprinting to where the agents stood. _Too late_ he thought, observing the bullet's location and knowing it would beat him to the agents. He pulled out two kunai and threw them slightly staggered, one racing behind the other.

The first passed in front of Agent Todd as the bullet approached her, the lead burrowing into the kunai but continuing on its path towards her. The second kunai followed, striking the first kunai as it spun, knocking against the handle and sending the first down to the ground.

The second kunai, losing velocity, flipped past the younger man- Agent DiNozzo- and clattered to the ground a couple feet away. Itachi continued running, sliding to a stop in front of all three agents and pulling out another kunai, holding it defensively and getting into his fighting stance, scanning for the enemy shinobi.

The agents behind him jumped back, unsettled by his sudden appearance and the weapons that had been thrown at them, and drew their guns.

"I am not your enemy, Agent Gibbs," he said without turning around. _I must get them out of here, but until I know where the enemy is I can't risk leaving them with a clone._ "Stay behind me."

"Well who the hell are you?" Agent Gibbs asked, not lowering his gun.

"I cannot answer that. I work for Director Shepard. She instructed me to watch over you and your team today. I have done so."

"Hey Boss," Agent DiNozzo called. By the sound of it, he had holstered his gun and picked up the kunai. "I thought I imagined it, but now I know I heard it." DiNozzo showed the weapon to Agent Gibbs, turning it over so the bullet imbedded in it was visible.

"Sniper shot," Gibbs confirmed. He looked over at Agent Todd worriedly. "Woulda hit you, Kate." His hand reached up and his thumb brushed against the center of her forehead, "There." She flinched.

"Ari's aiming at Kate? I thought he hated you, Boss" Agent DiNozzo said.

"Then he's targeting my team, DiNozzo," Agent Gibbs spat, frustrated with everything.

"Right," DiNozzo shook it of. "Of course. He targets your team to get to you. I knew that."

"Please be quiet," Itachi said coldly. They were distracting him and he could feel the other shinobi approaching. His clones were being taken down one by one. Two of the ones that had been on the street had attempted to capture Haswari but they were dispatched without catching sight of the enemy. The one with Agent McGee remained where he was stationed.

He cursed again, _what did Kakashi-senpai say to do? 'When faced with an enemy shinobi in the presence of civilians you must do whatever it takes to take him down. Deal with the consequences later. Our contract is important, and our secrecy even more so, but do not throw your life away in defense of either if there is something you can do.'_

There would certainly be consequences of this, but he couldn't afford to worry about them for the moment. His Sharingan still active, he brought his hands up, his two forefingers forming a cross. "Kage Bunshin no Justu," he intoned. Nine clones burst from the smoke, one immediately jumped from the roof to reinforce Agent McGee's position.

The other eight fanned out, three of them moving to stand next to an agent, and the other three picked up a corner from where Itachi himself stood, forming a defensive square with the agents and their guards in the middle.

The last two clones took off at a sprint, heading back in the direction of NCIS Headquarters. It was a long shot, but at least if one clone got picked off he could ascertain a general location of the enemy. And if they made it through, then he could alert Director Shepard of the situation.

He felt the presence and turned to the opposite side of the roof only a second before the figure revealed himself, his laughter ringing across the roof. _Shit_ was the only thought he allowed himself to have as he and the other clones moved in front of the agents.

They were confused, and the clones he assigned as their guards had to pull them back, effectively hiding them behind two rows of clones.

Orochimaru took a step forward, "You've certainly grown, Itachi-kun." Another mental curse, and as one, Itachi and his clones reached up to remove their masks and cloaks, discarding them off to the side. _The damage has been done, and he already knows it's me. Fighting in my mask and cloak would only put me at a disadvantage._

Itachi moved several steps ahead of the clones, distinguishing himself, as the clones readied themselves, kunai out and stances prepared, but Orochimaru made no move forward.

"Why are you here, Orochimaru?" Itachi asked, his voice not giving anything away.

He laughed, and the agents flinched. "I happened to be nearby when I got word of this little operation. Haswari intrigued me and I had nothing better to do," he smiled and Itachi's stomach clenched. "That I found you here, Itachi-kun, is just a happy coincidence."

He gripped his kunai tighter, _I can't hope to match him. And I have to get the agents out of here. The clones should reach Director Shepard soon. At best, my team can be here in twenty minutes. _His eyes narrowed again. _Too long. I'm tired already. I've made too many clones. I have to stall._

He watched Orochimaru carefully, "So what do you want?"

"Just to say hello," he shrugged. "Do I need a reason to be here? I have to make a living somehow." Itachi didn't answer, although he longed to throw it back in Orochimaru's face that he could have made a living with the village instead of abandoning them. _No need to provoke him._

Orochimaru seemed put off by Itachi's silence, "But now that I'm here, there's no reason not to have some fun." As he spoke he released a hail of kunai and Itachi watched them carefully.

He could have easily dodged them, but he blocked them with his own kunai instead, catching the last one in his free hand as he moved his head out of its path. _No reason to give him any chances at the agents. I need to get them out of here before this heats up._

He heard the agents' exclamations as he dodged but ignored them. He flung the two kunai in his hands towards Orochimaru and turned, still keeping the Sannin in his view, to catch sight of the agents and their guards.

At a nod from him, they each picked up the agent they were responsible for, ignoring their protests, and sprinted towards the edge of the roof, jumping and running across the buildings until they stood a good distance away.

They were still visible, but it was the best Itachi could do until his team got there. _If I send them back to NCIS with the clones and they're ambushed I won't be able to get to them. Orochimaru said he's here alone, but I can't take him at his word._

He caught a glimpse of something shiny out of the corner of his eye and instinctively ducked, not at all fazed as the kunai passed through the area where his head had been only a second ago.

"Very good, Itachi-kun. Now that the civilians are gone, let's see how much you've improved," Orochimaru purred.

Appearing uninterested, Itachi's mind was whirling with strategies. _I need to keep my distance. But I can't let him out of my sight._ It was basic, but sometimes the best plans were.

He fell back in line with his clones and they came together, moving positions several times so that when they reformed the line the real Itachi was hidden. Orochimaru smirked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Always

Sinkme


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Maintenance:

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Uh, Boss," McGee called across the bullpen.

Gibbs ran a hand over his face tiredly. He had slept but not very well; knowing that Ari was out there and planning something made his skin crawl. He'd stayed in the office, not wanting to waste any manpower by having his house guarded.

To his amusement and chagrin, his team had stayed as well. They had only been awake for about an hour, but everyone had picked up where they left off last night.

"What, McGee?" he strode over to the young agent's desk.

"I think I found the reason why the Lieutenants were killed," McGee said.

"You think?" he asked.

"I know," McGee said strongly. "The Lieutenants were pilots who worked with Danbourne Avionics. It's a company that supplies the military with weapons. Both of the Lieutenants were working on a project to develop a new drone. We found a camera that covered the theft. Ari and his cell were there."

Gibbs clapped McGee on the back, "Tony, Kate. Let's go." He grabbed his vest and gave Kate a glare, but there was no way he wasn't following up on this.

The lab was well secured, but as Gibbs poked around he didn't notice anything wrong. He joined Tony and Kate just as Kate was asking their guide about the drones.

"Was any of the equipment dependent on fingerprint scanning?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. "The flight controls require a fingerprint scan to fly. Why?"

_Damnit._ Gibbs whistled, already walking out of the building and Kate and Tony hurried to follow him.

He sent Kate down to inform Abby of the drone the moment they got back. Meanwhile, he had McGee and Tony looking for any way to track the controller. They had determined the intended target on the way back to base and he was pissed.

He raced up the steps to Jen's office, knowing that Fornell would be there as well.

He ignored Cynthia as he walked past her and threw the doors open, his glare silencing any pleasantries that either person in the room would have said.

"Ari has a target drone. He's going to use it today on a pier where several Navy ships are returning," he said.

Both Fornell and Jen were shocked silent but Fornell answered first, "Shit. We shoulda seen this coming."

"Ya think, Tobias?" Gibbs returned sarcastically. "I won't let that bastard get away with this. How do you contact him?"

"There's a cell phone number for emergencies," Fornell said, even as he reached into his jacket to get it. Regulations were out the window at this point.

Gibbs' phone buzzed and he growled angrily, "What?"

"Gibbs! I have something," Abby said quickly. He snapped his phone shut. "Meet me in MTAC." He called over his shoulder.

Not wasting time with the elevator, he ran down the stairs and emerged from the door by Forensics, finding Kate and Abby inside.

"Make it quick, Abs," he said impatiently.

"Ok. Right. So the drone is still a prototype, thankfully, or this would be more difficult. It needs a locator beacon to hone in on, so it'll have to be placed somewhere on the pier. But it'll be small and there'll be a lot of people there so that's probably not your best bet." She paused to take a breath.

"The drone has a 40 mile range. They will have to be set up somewhere in that radius for the flight controller to work," she smirked. "But the really good news is that Danbourne sent me the program codes, not that I couldn't have gotten them on my own, but this saved some time and I didn't have to punch through any firewalls."

"Anyway," she continued at Gibbs' glare. "We can jam the drone as long as we're within 40 miles of the controller."

Satisfied that Abby was done he nodded to Kate and they left the room. "Good work Abby!" he called back, but she had already turned back to her computer.

He raced up to MTAC and found Fornell and Jen ready for him, he took the headphones and twirled a finger in the air to the operator, who started the call.

"What?" he heard the voice on the other end.

"It's Gibbs, Ari. We found the drone," he said meanly.

"Ah, Gibbs. Still alive. What drone are you referring to?" Ari asked.

Gibbs looked over to the tracking system and the analyst waved his head negatively.

"You know damn well what drone. This isn't a game, Ari. I know you're not a mole anymore. You've turned," Gibbs baited him.

"What you think doesn't really matter, does it, Agent Gibbs? But I see you've convinced at least one other person of your suspicions. I know you don't have access to this number," Ari remarked lightly.

"It's over, Ari. Call your men off. Because I promise, the next time we meet will be the last," Gibbs yelled, and saw the analyst give him a thumbs up.

"Believe me, Gibbs. I would but-" Gibbs gave the tech the cut signal and the call ended abruptly. "Where is he?" Gibbs pulled the headset off.

"Two block radius in Norfolk," was the reply and Gibbs was almost out the door when Jen called him back.

"Jethro," she stalked over to him, her voice hard. "Do not let your personal feelings get in the way of this mission. You are to stop the drone. That's all. Do not confront Ari unless there is no alternative."

Too furious for words, Gibbs didn't reply, and instead ran down the stairs and yelled to his team, "Gear up."

He grabbed his gun and loaded it viciously, taking a second magazine and heading toward the elevator in silence.

His agents took a moment to collect themselves before bursting into action as well, and followed Gibbs.

"We're taking two cars. McGee, you're with DiNozzo. Kate's with me. We're heading to Norfolk. Got a two block radius. Look for somewhere Ari and his cell could set up the controller."

They didn't comment on how vague that was, or that Ari could have set up anywhere in the two block area; they knew better.

As it turned out, though, the two blocks weren't as bad as they could have been. Each car patrolled around, and when Tony caught sight of a man with a gun ducking into a warehouse, they had their target.

Everyone carefully strapped on a vest and McGee pulled out his laptop, setting up the program to jam the drone. But when they pulled up to the warehouse they came under fire.

Gibbs yelled out to them and they quickly took cover behind the cars and returned fire. The terrorists tried to press their advantage and close the distance, but as soon as they left their cover Gibbs and his agents had them down.

"That'll have gotten their attention," Gibbs said as they took a moment to catch their breath and reload. "McGee, you stay here and jam the drone. Kate, Tony, with me."

Gibbs ran to the warehouse, Kate followed behind as they made their way into the building. Tony ran around back to climb the fire escape.

He held his gun at the ready, and he and Kate switched positions as they climbed the stairs covering each other as they ascended. They got to the roof and he opened the door slowly, letting Kate go first to clear the immediate area. He followed a moment later, his back to hers, and they saw several men with guns.

One was bent over the control board and before Gibbs had a chance to fire he launched the drone. Angry that he was been too late, he shot the terrorist. He fell with a bullet through his heart.

At the gunshot, the rest of the roof broke out in men and guns, and he and Kate took cover. He saw Tony climb up quickly and duck behind the closest cover as well.

He turned to Kate, and at his nod they both popped up, firing as they caught sight of anyone. Tony joined in as well and soon everyone was down. Gibbs brought his gun back up, and kept it trained on the body he approached. He kicked the weapon away and knelt cautiously to check for a pulse. He stood, and saw that Kate and Tony were checking the other men. "McGee," he touched a hand to his headset. "They launched the drone. Tell me you jammed it."

"Um, Boss. I had a shooter but he left a moment ago. My control pad was shot though, I can't do anything with it," McGee said.

"Then how do I turn this off? It's still going," Gibbs yelled.

"You could type in th-" McGee started, but Gibbs was already tuning him out. He knew that whatever McGee was going to tell him to do was out of his limited technological skills.

The drone was too close to its target to get McGee on the roof to do it himself, so he fell back on his own experience and put a couple bullets in the controller and hoped for the best.

When the control screen shut down and no explosion in the distance followed, he assumed everything was all clear. The drone would have hit by now, and the explosion would have been seen and heard from his position here.

Satisfied, he turned back to his team and checked his gun. "I'm out," he said while he reloaded.

"Me too," Kate said, holding her rifle up. He turned to Tony only to whip his head around when he heard the cry from Kate, "Shooter!"

He looked back just in time to see her fall and his gut clenched at the thought that she had taken a bullet meant for him, but his gun was already raised and firing by the time he processed the notion. He barely saw the guy fall before he turned to Kate.

"Kate," he called, kneeling beside her and gently turning her over. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the bullet had caught her vest and thanked her obsessive nagging that had made them all wear one.

"Protection detail's over, Kate," Gibbs said as he pulled her to her feet.

Tony came to stand next to her, "You did good." The relief was evident in his eyes.

"For once, Dinozzo's right," Gibbs said, giving Kate a small smile.

"Wow, I thought I'd die before I ever heard a comp-"

The sudden appearance of two sharp objects in front of him, along with the loud gunshot that reached them a split-second later, had Gibbs' nerves at the end of his rope for the day. He raised his gun again, focusing on the cloaked figure that was suddenly in front of him.

Every sense he had was screaming at him, and he knew that something was horribly wrong. _Where the hell did he come from?_ There hadn't been anyone there a moment ago, and he would have- _should have_- noticed someone running up to them. His team had their guns on the figure's back as well.

A boyish voice spoke, "I am not your enemy, Agent Gibbs." Gibbs bit back a retort. _How does he know me? _"Stay behind me."

From the voice, he could guess that it was a kid, probably in his early teens. _Like hell I'm gonna stand here without knowing who that is._

_"_Well who the hell are you?" he yelled, his gun still aimed at the boy's back.

"I cannot answer that. I work for Director Shepard. She instructed me to watch over you and your team today. I have done so."

_Jenny? What the hell is going on?_

"Hey Boss." DiNozzo's voice cut across his thoughts. "I thought I imagined it, but now I know I heard it." Tony placed the knife- if it could be called that- in his hand, turning it to the side so he could see what had caught his senior field agent's attention.

His heart stopped for one awful moment when he saw the bullet imbedded in the metal. His head snapped up to Kate's, his eyes widening as he mentally retraced the path of the knives, watched as the second one redirected the first, and heard the gunshot once more.

"Sniper shot," he bit out. His finger traced over the bullet_. Ari._ He could feel the panic seeping into his face but he couldn't stop it as he looked at Kate.

"Woulda hit you, Kate," he said softly, and his finger gently touched her in the center of the forehead. "There." He could see the shock and fear in her face and his heart ached for bringing this on his team.

"Ari's aiming at Kate? I thought he hated you, Boss," Tony said. Gibbs opted for not smacking him so soon after he almost lost a member of his team, but his voice was sarcastic.

"Then he's targeting my team, DiNozzo."

"Right," Tony recovered. "Of course. He targets your team to get to you. I knew that."

Gibbs put a hand on Kate's shoulder; she was quiet and pale, and she gave him a weak smile and a nod.

The voice spoke again, reminding him of the current situation, "Please be quiet." The tone was absolutely serious, and Gibbs' eyes narrowed. _What's going on? This guy is entirely out of our league. I don't even think he's human. To throw a knife- _two_ knives- and time it so it catches a bullet, gets hit by the second one, and hits no one in the group is beyond impossible. Movie stunts don't even cover what just happened. But he's definitely on our side. He saved Kate._

He watched the boy carefully, still wary as his hands came up in front of him and he heard him say something. There were several pops and puffs of smoke and Gibbs took a step back, dragging Kate and Tony with him and moving them behind him.

His brain denied what he was seeing as impossible. He blinked and tried again, but there was still a group of figures where a second ago there was no one. They were dressed identically and he saw that they were all wearing the same masks and cloaks as the first guy.

His right hand still held his gun down at his side and he eyed the figures suspiciously. A moment later one of them ran to the edge of the roof and jumped off. He heard a gasp of surprise from Tony, and one of alarm from Kate. He kept his eyes on the other figures.

Three moved closer to his team and his trigger finger itched but he forced himself to wait. They moved to stand beside each of them, one per person, and his first thought was that they were guards.

He holstered his gun reluctantly, although he recognized that after the previous displays it would most likely not be any more effective for him. _He's on our side,_ he repeated to himself. _Maybe Jenny really did send him. Although I don't know where the rest of these guys came from._

The other figures fanned out and formed a box with him and his agents in the middle. The last two- by now he had lost track of the guy that had been there first- took off at an unbelievable speed and jumped along the rooftops.

_This is impossible. People can't pop out of nowhere. They can't run or jump like that. What the hell is this guy?_ One of the figures turned towards the other side of the roof and Gibbs instinctively turned as well.

The cloaked people moved again, the three that were closest to them pulled them back and stood in front of them and the ones that had been in a box stood in front of them. Another figure- a man- was making his way towards them from the opposite side of the rooftop. _When did he get here?_

"You've certainly grown, Itachi-kun," the man said. Gibbs couldn't help the shiver that crawled up his back when he heard the voice. One of the figures in the front line flinched, and everyone moved together to remove their masks and cloaks.

He watched the ones closest to him, and he knew his sentiments were shared by his team, _What the hell?_

The guards were all identical. Down to the last inch of whatever weird costume they were wearing.

It was an odd mix of body armor- _were those swords on their backs?-_ but Gibbs was focused on the other guy on the roof. His presence demanded attention and it was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. He was unlike anyone else he'd ever seen. So pale he was basically bleach white, and with black hair that almost reached his thighs, he cut an odd figure right off the bat. But his eyes.

Gibbs squinted again, but he was sure. They were gold. Bright gold, with weird purple markings around his eyes. Then the figure stuck out his tongue to lick his lips and Gibbs took a step back. He heard DiNozzo curse in anger and confusion. His tongue was longer then it should have been, and twisted around in a way that tongues weren't supposed to.

"What the hell is going on, Gibbs?" He heard Kate ask angrily. He could only shrug, _I have no fucking clue._

"Why are you here, Orochimaru?" The boy in front asked. Gibbs could tell for certain now that it was a boy. Even without the mask, the rest of the outfit remained intimidating, but his face was that of a kid. Probably around twelve or thirteen. The man- Orochimaru?- laughed and Gibbs shivered again.

"I happened to be nearby when I got word of this little operation. Haswari intrigued me and I had nothing better to do. That I found you here, Itachi-kun, is just a happy coincidence." Gibbs gathered that they had some kind of history and he wondered what the boy was mixed up with if he knew a guy like this.

He had to give the kid some credit, though. The other guy was giving off every bad vibe in the book, and right now Gibbs' only thought was to get his team the hell out of there. But the kid just stood there twirling his weird knife on one finger and looking bored. "So what do you want?" the boy spoke finally.

"Just to say hello," the man shrugged. "Do I need a reason? I have to make a living somehow. But now that I'm here, there's no reason not to have some fun."

Before Gibbs could think that he definitely didn't like the sound of that, the man had thrown several of the same weird knives at the kid, who stood there calmly. He watched in awe as the boy brought up his own knife and gracefully blocked every single projectile. The last one was sailing at his head and he simply bent his head back, one hand extending up.

_He caught it! _

_This is beyond impossible. This is insane. It's ridiculous. What the hell is going on? _He was seriously contemplating just pulling his gun and shooting at them while his team got away, but the kid made his own move a second later, throwing two knives back at the man.

A second after that he turned to face them, and Gibbs flinched when he saw red eyes looking directly at him, before the kid next to him picked him up bridal style and began sprinting away. He cursed and yelled to be let down, but there was no reaction so he could only wait anxiously.

He clenched his eyes involuntarily as they jumped across the rooftops- hating that he was being carried and that he had absolutely no control over the situation. A moment later he was placed back down, and he shot an angry glare at the kid before moving to stand closer to his agents.

They were all silent- there were far too many emotions too close to the surface at the moment to really say anything. At any rate, they were all thinking the same things. He looked back in the direction they had come from; the rooftop was still visible, and he could still make out the man and the kids on it.

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Always

Sinkme


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Maintenance:

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

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Itachi watched Orochimaru carefully, debating whether or not he should let him make the first move. _He's dangerous enough that allowing him to open the fight could put me at a noticeable disadvantage. But if he's waiting for me to move first it'll buy my team more time to get here._

His problem was solved a moment later as Orochimaru sprang into motion, his hands flying through seals.

Itachi's Sharingan blazed, reading the signs and a clone began the signs to counter the water jutsu that would follow. He withdrew a scroll from his hip pouch and activated the seal, allowing the water that was held in it to pour out.

Orochimaru might have the energy and skill to make his water dragon from the moisture in the air, but Itachi certainly didn't want to waste his chakra like that.

"Suiton: Suijinheki no Jutsu" the clone yelled as Orochimaru intoned the jutsu for his attack.

The water dragon hit the water shield that the clone had raised around them and in the cover of the spray that came from the nullified attack, two clones sprinted towards Orochimaru's position. They each threw a kunai and Itachi blinked in surprise as they sunk into his chest.

He cursed when it was revealed to be a mud clone and he scanned the perimeter, his hands flashing through the seals for an earth jutsu before he had pinned down a location.

"Doton: Retsudo Tensho!" he intoned, hoping the upturning roof would reveal Orochimaru's hiding spot.

The rooftop beneath them began to crumble and Itachi and his three clones jumped to the next nearest building, watching carefully for Orochimaru.

A mist began to settle over the rooftop and Itachi frowned, _Kirigakure no jutsu._ He stopped channeling chakra to his eyes, and his clones did the same. _No sense in wasting the chakra._

He sensed a hail of kunai coming his way but dodged to the right a second too late.

One had cut a thin line across his chest. It wasn't very painful and didn't bleed all that much, but he cursed anyway because now he could be identified from his clones.

He started the handsigns for a katon and waited for another cloud of kunai to cut through the mist. As soon as he heard them whistling through the air he finished the jutsu and called out, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu."

There was no immediate counterattack, and the fireball raced across the roof, clearing some of the mist away. The clones deflected the kunai that had made it through. He pulled out one of his last kunai and made identical slashes across their chests, hoping that the similarity to his wound would be enough.

In the fireball's wake, Orochimaru popped up from where he had hidden below the surface level, a small futon jutsu clearing the rest of the mist.

"Very good Itachi-kun. Your Sharingan gives you an advantage, and your ninjutsu is strong," he smirked and Itachi barely had a second of warning to duck before a powerful kick that should have drilled him in the stomach broke his collarbone instead.

Except he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Orochimaru frowned. He had no way of knowing if that one had actually been a clone or if Itachi had replaced himself with one a moment before the kick landed.

"Clever, Itachi-kun," he allowed.

Itachi kept his distance, at the far left with his remaining two clones to his right. _My best chance is a genjutsu, but it's risky. It'll burn a lot of chakra to hold him and I'll most likely need to engage him in taijutsu before springing it. He'll catch it if I do it at this distance._

Orochimaru pushed the advantage, engaging the closest clone in taijutsu. His experience gave him the direct advantage, but Itachi was able to counter it to a degree with the Sharingan.

The second clone raced forward as well to join the fray, both clones wielding kunai to give them an extra edge, and Itachi took a brief moment to scan the rooftop for any other chakra signature or anything that would mask it.

He didn't find anything, but that didn't convince him that the Orochimaru in front of him wasn't a clone. _I have no other option._

Carefully channeling his chakra, he quickly began the handseals, layering his chakra throughout the illusion so as to not alert Orochimaru. Slowly it took grasp and he paused before the final seal, _I need physical contact for this one_.

He sprinted in to join the clones. Even three on one, he was barely landing any hits. Both his clones were still there, though, so either he was holding his own, or Orochimaru was playing with him.

A kick caught him in the side and he wheezed, throwing a retaliatory punch and moving around Orochimaru to switch positions with his clones. They tried a combination attack, going high and low together, but Orochimaru just jumped back.

The other clone pressed the retreat, and Itachi followed a moment later, ducking under a kick and throwing another punch that was blocked. Orochimaru briefly met his eyes and Itachi tried to force the genjutsu out but it wasn't finished.

He was thrown back and tucked into a defensive roll, his clones covering his recovery by pressing an attack combination.

He stood quickly and re-entered the fray. Orochimaru feigned a left hook and snaked around his block, delivering an open handed chop to his throat.

He cried out and clutched his throat in pain, his breath coming in heaving gasps but he forced himself to focus again. If his clones hadn't been there to cover him, Orochimaru would have killed him right then.

Itachi stood again and ran back into range, although he stayed on the outside of the fight for the moment.

He frowned in concentration, looking frantically for an opening in Orochimaru's stance. One clone aimed a haymaker, the other closed in with a high kick to force him down, and Itachi saw it before it happened.

Orochimaru brought a hand up to block the punch and ducked under the kick, his own momentum going into a reverse roundhouse to hit the clone that had thrown the kick. It would only be a second, but Itachi would have Orochimaru's back to him.

He slammed his fingers into the final handseal, finishing the genjustu, and threw his hand out, smacking Orochimaru on the back and anchoring him in the genjutsu as he yelled, "Magen: Kasegui."

Everyone fell unnaturally still. Orochimaru had slumped to the ground, taken in by the illusion. Both clones eyed him warily, their kunai poised to strike.

Itachi estimated that his team would be there in the next five minutes at worst.

He had to hold onto the genjutsu until then. One of his clones puffed away, it had sustained too much damage and couldn't stay any longer. The other was waiting for any sign from Orochimaru that the genjutsu wasn't holding.

_If I can hold him until my team gets here it'll be better. With an opponent like Orochimaru I can't guarantee that any hit will be fatal and the outside pain might shock him out of the genjutsu._

A minute passed and he could feel Orochimaru bucking against the illusion, his chakra pounding against it, searching for a weak point. This particular genjutsu didn't try to trick the target into not looking for the illusion so it was only the pain that kept them under control.

In another moment his mind would reconnect to his body and he would break out of it.

Itachi slammed his hands back into the ram seal, channeling the chakra in the genjutsu into a shield rather than the illusion it was. It was a waste when it wasn't fooling Orochimaru anyway.

Either way, it didn't matter. His clone moved in for the attack, kunai raised to stab into Orochimaru's head. He felt the genjutsu shatter a moment later and quickly withdrew from Orochimaru's mind.

He was panting with exertion and almost missed the sudden influx of memories that weren't his. A second later, realization came to him and he flipped backwards to create space, landing in a crouched kneeling position.

The shuriken passed over his head and Itachi remained where he was for a moment to survey the damage. His clone had made contact with the kunai before being destroyed.

His eyes widened when he caught sight of the injury, surprised that Orochimaru had been able to protect his head and neck even when fighting off the genjutsu. His left hand was completely severed, it lay next to where he stood. As Orochimaru tied a bandage around the stump, Itachi realized that he must have raised his arm to protect his head.

Itachi gave a small sigh of relief at his advantage. Ninjutsu was out of the question now, and taijutsu was doable, but unlikely. He could feel that his chakra stores were almost completely drained and he knew he was almost out of options.

"Come now, Itachi-kun. You can't possibly think that an injury like that would stop me," he smirked, and withdrew a katana from his sash. Itachi immediately pulled out his weapon as well. "Ninjutsu might be my favorite, but I have many other skills."

His Sharingan blazed to life, knowing he wouldn't have the energy to react to Orochimaru's strikes without it. _The extra chakra drain is a necessary evil. I guess Orochimaru wants to settle this then._

He let Orochimaru come to him and blocked the overhead swing, throwing both swords down to his left, forcing Orochimar's sword to follow and consequently open his body to an attack.

Orochimaru was weakened from his injury, the blood loss kept him from his normal speed, and the loss of his hand kept him from using his stronger two-handed stance. A one-handed stance kept Orochimaru from delivering powerful stabs and locking swords where his height and skill would have given him the advantage.

Instead he had to settle for quick passes, aiming to slice rather than stab. He couldn't afford to let his katana get caught up or his right hand injured.

With his katana blocking Orochimaru's he pressed the advantage and twisted his body around to swing his left foot up, connecting solidly with Orochimaru's chest and forcing him back. He followed through with a leg sweep but Orochimaru had recovered and jumped over it, swinging his sword down on Itachi's head.

Forced to block, he braced his arms and the strike glanced off his sword, catching him slightly on his shoulder and opening the skin there. Not daring to retreat he followed his block with a rising slash, forcing Orochimaru back.

Itachi took a moment to catch his breath when it was clear that Orochimaru wouldn't immediately close the distance between them. He was being pushed to the edge of his limits, and his Sharingan was burning through chakra too quickly for his liking.

He could feel himself slowing down. Just because he _saw _the sword coming didn't mean he could convince his arms to move where he needed them. He was less than successful at dodging for the same reason, and he had several small cuts on his arms and chest from near misses.

Itachi blocked another strike, putting as much power as he could afford into the motion to try and throw Orochimaru off balance.

It didn't work, and he brought his katana up to block the accompanying attack pattern that he recognized, only to curse as Orochimaru reversed his movement by pivoting off his front foot, changing his grip on the katana as well.

Itachi already knew he couldn't block the attack or dodge it in time and he prepared himself for the pain.

If he was honest with himself then bracing for the pain hadn't really diminished it in any way, but there was nothing else he could have done.

He screamed and looked down reflexively. The katana had stabbed through his chest, below his ribcage on his right side. He took several seconds to focus on his breathing and beat down the pain.

Not knowing what else to do, he brought his sword up and made a wild swipe at Orochimaru.

_Now I know he's toying with me_, Itachi thought. Instead of ducking around it and finishing him, Orochimaru withdrew back, pulling the katana out as he went.

Another shock of pain lanced through him and Itachi cried out again. He felt himself fall to his knees and he dropped his katana, both hands coming up to cradle the wound. When his eyes cleared he looked up, only to see Orochimaru knock a handful of shuriken away with his katana.

Itachi blinked fuzzily and felt his body fall the rest of the way to the ground. Dimly he recognized that his team must have arrived, but the darkness pulled him before he could confirm it.

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Always

Sinkme


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

Maintenance:

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

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Gibbs watched the roof carefully, intent on learning as much about the boy and the strange man as he could. Kate and Tony were watching as well, although Tony had tried to talk to his guard first. After a moment of silence and a glare that was- he had to admit- worse than one of his own, he too had turned his attention to the roof.

There were four of the kids standing on one end of the roof, and Gibbs almost smirked at how bizarre that sounded even in his head. The man stood on the other side.

The guards tensed and a moment later the man exploded into action. He couldn't keep his jaw from dropping at the speed at which everything was done.

His hands flew through a pattern and a second later, one of the kids' hands were in motion as well. Another one opened up something and a bunch of water splashed out.

They finished at almost the same time, their voices overlapping as they yelled something, and an enormous dragon made of water rushed at the boys, only to collide with what looked like a wall of water.

"Holy shit!"

"What the-"

"How…"

Gibbs and his team were stunned into silence after that. There weren't any words to describe the shock that they were feeling at what they just saw.

The guards were silent and Gibbs refocused on the fight, watching as two of the kids sprinted forward toward the man. They each threw a knife and he felt momentary relief when they both sunk into the guy's chest.

Kate and Tony gave a little cheer, obviously deciding on who they were rooting for. The guards' eyes narrowed, though, and Gibbs watched in horrified fascination as the man melted into something dark. He didn't see the man anywhere else, though, and wondered where he had disappeared to.

The other kid's hands moved into a pattern and he yelled out something, then the four boys jumped to the nearby roof as the one they were just on crumbled into itself.

Gibbs frowned as a mist began to cloud the rooftop that the kids were on. It was definitely unnatural and Gibbs didn't like not being able to see what was going on, despite the fact that he couldn't influence the action one way or another.

Tony agreed with his assessment of the mist, "Well that doesn't look good."

One of the guards spoke, causing them to jump, "Kirigakure no jutsu. It is Orochimaru's doing."

"Is that the man?" Kate asked.

A nod answered and Gibbs tried out the name, "Orochimaru." He was sure with time that he could learn to hate the man with as much intensity as he hated Ari.

"Who're you?" Tony asked while the guards were in a talkative mood.

The guards were silent for a moment before one answered, "Weasel."

Tony gave a small laugh before covering it in a cough when he saw that the guards were serious. "You're a weasel?" he asked incredulously.

"No," the guard was irritated now. "Weasel is our code name."

The three agents blinked at that. Code names weren't unusual, but typically only associated with special force operatives. And the use of the plural 'our' instead of singular 'my' made them more than a little curious.

A huge burst of fire forced his attention back to the other roof and he only saw the kid- Weasel- with two others. _Jeez this is confusing and it's just in __my__ head! I'd assign them different names but I can't tell them apart anyway._

Some of the mist had lifted and he could see the kids now. The ones he could see had matching cuts across their chests and he wondered how they got there. He watched intently as the rest of the mist cleared away and Orochimaru was visible again. He was saying something but Gibbs couldn't hear the words.

Gibbs blinked and suddenly Orochimaru was right in the middle of the kids. _How is he so fast?_ A brutal kick to one kid's chest sent him flying back. Kate gave a soft cry but it was soon cut off when a second later the boy disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Not seeing either of the other kids, the guards, or Orochimaru react to that, Gibbs realized that it was 'normal' for them. That didn't stop him from wondering where the kid had gone, though. Or how he had disappeared.

"That's the same way these guys got here," DiNozzo said quietly.

Kate agreed, but said quietly, "But they all popped in together. Maybe that's how they go back?"

Gibbs uncharacteristically asked, "Back to where?"

They watched the fight once more and Gibbs felt a wave of respect for the boy's skills. It was obvious that Orochimaru was stronger and more experienced, but the kid was holding him off.

Their hand-to-hand combat was unlike anything Gibbs had ever seen in any military or civilian setting. Simultaneously powerful and graceful, he watched as two of the kids fought Orochimaru and it seemed more like dancing than fighting.

Each of them slid through forms and stances without a conscious thought. Blocks on punches and kicks easily transformed into counterattacks and Gibbs knew his mouth was hanging open at the speed of it all.

The third kid joined the group a moment later, done with whatever hand thing he had been doing. A moment later, though, he was hit in the side with a kick but recovered.

Kate flinched at the brutality and even Tony looked a little green. It was clear even from here that no one on that roof was pulling any punches.

They were aiming to kill at best, incapacitate at least.

One of the kids was thrown back and rolled to break his fall, the other two coming forward to cover for him, but he was up soon and fighting again.

They all flinched at the cry of pain a minute later. Tony's hand reflexively came up to grasp his own throat lightly and Kate cursed. Gibbs was doing his best not to show it, but he was scared for his team and for the kids.

Orochimaru was obviously powerful in ways that Gibbs couldn't comprehend. He knew in his gut that the man wouldn't even bat an eye at killing the boys. The intent in his last attack proved that, as he hadn't even paused in his fighting after the kid was down.

Gibbs was surprised at how quickly the kid recovered, although he didn't immediately join back in. _I don't blame him, _Gibbs thought. _If that was me I'd have stayed down longer._

A moment later it was clear to Gibbs, though, that the kid hadn't hesitated because he was afraid of being hurt again. He'd been waiting for an opening to attack.

His hand landed right in the middle of Orochimaru's back and at once the fighting ceased. Orochimaru fell limply to the ground and the kid that had hit him brought his hands together. He both stood unnaturally still, not even flinching when one of the other kids burst into smoke and disappeared.

Almost a full minute passed and nothing else happened. Tony and Kate were smiling and cheering for the kid but Gibbs wasn't convinced. One look at the guards was all he needed to see to assure him that it wasn't over.

His fears were confirmed a moment later when one kid erupted into deep panting breaths.

The next several things happened simultaneously.

One kid lunged in; his knife held overhead and he brought it down on Orochimaru's head.

Gibbs watched as his heart raced, the strike hadn't connected with its target, but in blocking the attack, the knife had cut off Orochimaru's left hand.

"He got him!" Tony exclaimed happily, only for his smile to falter a moment later.

The other kid disappeared in a cloud of smoke, Orochimaru's right foot still extended where the kid's head used to be after the smoke had cleared.

The last kid jumped backwards, twisting in midair and landing in a crouch as several projectiles soared over his head.

Gibbs couldn't help the gulp or the silent prayer that he sent up after that. There was only one kid left. He wasn't sure if the others were dead, or what, but the remaining one was pretty beat up and he knew this fight wouldn't last much longer.

Orochimaru didn't even seem to be fazed at the loss of his hand and Gibbs wondered how he was dealing with the pain as he calmly bandaged his wrist. Even in the face of an injury as severe as that, it seemed that Orochimaru wouldn't stop.

Kate and Tony seemed to have reached the same conclusion because Kate turned to the guard closest to her and yelled at him, "Go help! We don't need to be guarded! Stop wasting time. Go!"

The guard was unaffected, though, and Gibbs shivered at the cold voice that answered, "We cannot. We have our orders. We are not to leave you alone. If defeat seems inevitable, we are to retreat to NCIS headquarters with you."

It was so detached, even worse than he had heard from some of the soldiers in the hospitals he had been in.

The relationship between the kids was lost on him, but now he wasn't sure he wanted to know if this was how they treated each other when it was clear that the kid was going to be killed, or popped, or whatever they did.

He could recognize that there was something different about the kid that was left. Something that suggested that he would bleed and die for real. It was probably the blood that ran from the cut on his chest, or the dark bruise that was already forming on his throat, but Gibbs was convinced that whatever those kids had been- and their guards still were- the kid on the other rooftop wasn't like them.

As if everything else hadn't been enough, Gibbs watched as Orochimaru pulled out a sword and the boy pulled out a similar weapon from the case that ran up his back.

"Jeez, they fight with swords too?" he heard Tony ask incredulously.

It would have been incredible to watch, if it wasn't blaringly obvious that the kid was reaching his breaking point.

_He's at his limit, _Gibbs realized. _I can tell he's used to the sword and he knows what he's doing, but his body can't react fast enough to keep up._

He mentally flinched with each small cut that was opened on his arms and chest, but the boy didn't stop. A moment later he had driven Orochimaru back with a strong kick to catch his breath. The kid was still fighting and there was another swell of respect and awe for him.

But Orochimaru seemed comfortable fighting one handed, and dealt calmly with the mixed physical attacks that the kid incorporated into his style.

The guards must have seen something coming because they simultaneously stiffened but Gibbs didn't see it until it had already happened.

Kate screamed, her hand coming up to her mouth and her eyes filling with tears. DiNozzo cursed and gripped the edge of the guardrail tightly. Gibbs swore as well and his hand fell to his gun, the need to do _something_ driving him nearly insane.

Orochimaru still stood where he was, his sword remaining impaled through the kid's chest. The kid looked down at it, surprised, and Gibbs' heart clenched at the weak slice he made with his own sword, trying to ward Orochimaru away.

Surprisingly, Orochimaru did back away, but he pulled his sword with him, and the kid's cry tore through him again.

His eyes were so rooted on the kid as he fell to his knees, his hands coming up to staunch the blood, that he missed the appearance of three other figures.

When the boy fell back completely his vision tunneled, solely focused on the bleeding- _dying_- boy that wasn't disappearing in smoke.

A hand on his arm forced him to refocus, and he realized Kate was shaking him. "What?" he yelled.

She didn't even notice his tone and instead nodded with her head back to the rooftop. Directing his own sight in that direction once more, he saw three figures standing in front on the boy, swords raised.

A moment later Orochimaru disappeared, and the three figures turned back to kneel next to the boy.

"Take us back," Gibbs demanded. "Danger's gone. Take. Us. Back." He repeated forcefully when they hesitated.

A minute later they were on the rooftop and Gibbs walked closer, cautiously approaching so he didn't alarm any of the other figures. One of them was kneeling over the boy, their hands glowing green.

The other two watched him carefully and he raised his hands in the universal gesture, _I'm unarmed. I'm not a threat._

After a moment, he felt Kate and Tony come up behind him, mirroring what he had done, and the other figures didn't stop them. Gibbs noticed that they wore masks similar to what the boy had worn earlier, although unlike the kids', all of theirs were unique.

He got the feeling that they were older, and the way they functioned made him think they were a team. At the very least they were allies.

Finally he found his voice, "We can call for an ambulance if you need. We have a doctor on base that could be here sooner and help stabilize him."

One of the figures spoke up, "He can't go to your hospital. We will take care of him."

Kate looked indignant, "He needs a hospital. He was stabbed with a _sword_. At least let Ducky help. He's a doctor."

The figure was about to answer when the one with the green hands looked back up and spoke, "I've stabilized him as best as I can. I need somewhere to treat him, though. I can't do much more here."

They seemed to confer among themselves, before they turned back to Gibbs, "Does your doctor have a private room?"

Gibbs answered honestly, "Relatively private. He's a medical examiner so he works in the autopsy room in the basement. We can lock the door though, and Dr. Mallard can help treat him."

"Then let's get him back there," one of them said. "It will be faster if we take you back."

Gibbs wanted to argue but from his limited experience with them, their way of traveling would be a lot faster than driving back. And the boy looked dreadful.

"Yea, fine," Gibbs said. They nodded, but one of them one still looking at him and said, "I was given to understand that there was a fourth member of your team. Where is Agent McGee?"

He cursed and wiped a hand over his brow, _even with everything that just happened, there's no excuse for forgetting about McGee. _He was about to admit that he didn't know when one of the guards spoke up, "There are two of us with him. He was secured in the basement of a building one block away, north of here."

The figures nodded and one of them said, "Go find them and bring Agent McGee back to base."

The guard nodded and sprinted to the edge of the roof, and jumped off. Gibbs and his agents once more were picked up and they began sprinting and jumping away.

He figured he might as well be useful on the way back, so he pulled out his phone with some difficulty and found Ducky's number.

"Jethro," the jolly voice said. "I was hoping to hear from you soon. May I take this as an invitation to join you at what is sure t-"

"Not now, Duck," Gibbs said. He had been trying to forget that they were technically leaving a crime scene, with the bodies of several terrorists, unattended. Not to mention Ari's escape and Kate's attempted murder. "We're coming back. I need you ready for someone. Seal off Autopsy. We'll be there in a few."

"Jethro," Ducky's voice got quite serious. "Please tell me it is not someone from your team I should be preparing to receive."

"No, Duck. No one from my team," he hesitated. "It's complicated, Ducky."

A bit of humor found it's way back into Ducky's voice, "I can deal with complicated if that's the alternative. Actually, there was one time-"

Gibbs cut him off again, "Really not the time, Ducky. Bring Jenny down too. I'm gonna need her there."

"Of course. We'll be ready for you. Should I assume that Mr. Palmer's services will not be needed?" Ducky asked shrewdly.

"Yeah, tell the kid to take the rest of the day off or something," Gibbs agreed, snapping the phone shut and barely hanging onto it when they landed from another jump.

He'd never understand how they got to NCIS so quickly, or how the others beat them down to Autopsy without being seen as Gibbs and his team entered through their normal means.

They had already laid the kid out on one of the tables, and Gibbs was hit once more with how young the boy was. He looked a lot smaller on Ducky's autopsy table.

Ducky and one of the kid's teammates- the other kids had all disappeared in a puff of smoke after delivering them to NCIS- were getting the kid out of his bloody clothes and gear to see the damage.

The other two looked on stoically, and Jenny whipped around to face him, eyes filled with tears. "What the hell happened, Jethro?" she yelled.

He was pissed too, though, "I don't know _Director_, why don't you fill me in?"

She opened her mouth to respond but Ducky beat her to it, "Not in here you won't. If you're going to yell then leave." He rolled up his sleeves and looked back sadly to the boy, "We have work to do here."

Jenny nodded respectfully and turned to Jethro, "I won't have an answer for you until Weasel is conscious and stable. I will need to debrief his team as well. After that I'll speak with you and your team." Her voice hardened, "Until then you will speak to _no one_ about this." She turned to look at each agent, "Am I understood?"

"Perfectly."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Of course ma'am."

Jethro still looked furious but he gave her a swift nod when the two masked figures turned to look at him. "Jen," he said. "I want an answer."

"You'll have one, Jethro," she said seriously. "But I can't promise it'll be the one you want. There are more important things on the line here than your curiosity."

He didn't reply, and said instead, "Keep me updated with him." He nodded in the boy's direction and pulled his team back towards the door.

"We can be doing something useful to help him," Gibbs said when they protested. "In case you've all forgotten, Ari was there and he tried to put a bullet in Kate's head."

That shut Tony and Kate up but McGee looked confused. "What? Kate, are you ok?"

"No Probie," Tony said sarcastically. "Kate here's actually dead and reappeared to give us her final goodbyes."

Gibbs smacked both of them, "Enough."

They were back in the bullpen, "Work. Now. Find me that son of a bitch."

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Always

Sinkme


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

Maintenance:

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

Might be a little funky- Itachi and his ANBU team refer to each other according to their codenames but in Japanese. So Hawk is Taka. But they are introduced to Gibbs and his team by their codenames in English and I will refer to them when they speak or do something by their name in English...Just go with it...

And I'm keeping this real-ish. So no bijuu. (So Minato is Hokage…)

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When Itachi came to, he was in considerably less pain than he had been before. He tried to stay as still as possible as he blinked his eyes open. There was no reason to pull at any wound he had or to alert anyone that he was awake.

It hadn't made a difference, though, because as soon as he stirred Hawk make her way over. "Well that's a hell of a way to get our attention, taichou," she joked. "Wanna tell us how Orochimaru got there?"

She helped him sit up slowly and he barely bit back the gasp of pain at the movement, but he felt better once he was up. As he glanced around the room he concluded that he was in the autopsy room.

His team was there, along with Director Shepard and Doctor Mallard. He assumed that the doctor had helped Hawk patch him up since he could feel some stitches pulling at the skin on his chest and arms.

He mentally frowned, _stitches mean that Hawk was too tired to heal._ It passed a moment later as he recalled everything that had happened on the roof. _That explains it, then. Hawk is trained but she's a field medic. It would have taken all of her energy to heal a wound like that_.

He put a hand over his still tender wound and watched as Doctor Mallard came over to him.

"Good to see you up, my boy," he smiled and patted him on the shoulder lightly.

"Thank you, Doctor Mallard. I appreciate your help in my recovery," Itachi said, figuring he owed the man that much at least.

The doctor just smiled again, "Just call me Ducky, please."

At Itachi's confused look he gave a sigh and shook his head, "Nevermind."

He turned to the Director, "I will go inform Gibbs of what's happened and leave you all alone."

"Thank you Ducky," the Director replied warmly.

She waited until the elevator doors had closed and then turned back to Itachi, "So what happened?"

Itachi composed himself and delivered his report, "I followed Agent Gibbs and his team to an abandoned warehouse in Norfolk. I set up several lookouts after a gunfight occurred at the entrance and it was clear that that was where the target was. Agent Gibbs, Agent Todd, and Agent DiNozzo entered the warehouse and went up to the roof.

"Agent McGee remained with the car. I moved my position to a nearby roof and during another gunfight I realized that there was someone hidden on another roof. I dispelled the genjutsu and saw Haswari aiming a sniper rifle at Agent Gibbs and his team. He fired, intending to kill Agent Todd but I intercepted the bullet."

The Director blinked at that but said nothing so he continued, "At that point I knew there was an enemy shinobi present and interceded to protect Agent Gibbs and his team. At which time, Orochimaru made himself known. He claimed to have been in the area and joined up with Haswari only recently and with no ulterior motive."

Low growls from his team made the director speak up, "Who is Orochimaru?"

Bear beat him to it, "Orochimaru was once a member of our forces. He betrayed us and defected from the village almost four years ago. He was one of our best shinobi."

The director digested this as Itachi continued, "After getting Agent Gibbs and his team to another roof Orochimaru and I fought. My primary goal was to stall him since I could not hope to match him alone and the agents were in danger. After several minutes of fighting I managed to sever his hand but in the fight after that I sustained this injury," his hand moved back up to his chest. "At which point my team arrived and I blacked out."

The director turned to his team, "Do you have anything to add?" "No, Madam Director," Bear spoke again. "As Weasel said, after we arrived Orochimaru shunshined away, and we were unable to follow him."

The director was silent for several moments before she turned back to Itachi, "You said that Orochimaru was working with Haswari."

"Yes, Madam Director. He told me that he had been in the area and was intrigued by Haswari," Itachi confirmed.

Hawk spoke up, "Madam Director, Orochimaru doesn't need a reason for what he does. He might have defected, but Hokage-sama drove him out of the village because of his actions."

"Taka!" Dragon exclaimed. "That's enough."

"If this information is regarding a new enemy that NCIS has just made then I need to know about it," Director Shepard said coolly

"The reason for Orochimaru's defection is not important. Suffice it to say that he is a twisted, power hungry bastard," Bear compromised.

Hawk said, "Now that he knows we're here he won't leave this alone. Especially with taichou-" She cut herself off and Director Shepard looked annoyed.

Itachi calmly interrupted although he was said, "No, you're right, Taka. Hokage-sama needs to be informed. As well as Inu-senpai and Yamato-senpai.Inu-senpai has experience with Orochimaru. So have Mitarashi-sanand Hokage-sama. Taka and I will remain at NCIS until new orders are received."

His team looked hesitant, so he continued firmly, "I was unable to capture Haswari so Agent Gibbs and his team are still at risk. The original mission won't be compromised and we will be there should Orochimaru return." The director looked surprised, but Bear and Dragon simply nodded and shunshined away to deliver the messages.

"For the moment, Madam Director, Agent Gibbs and his team- and only them- need to be aware of us."

She nodded to show her understanding and said as she pulled out her phone, "Doesn't mean I have to like it. This has become much more complicated than I could have anticipated."

She turned away from them to speak on her phone and Hawk put a hand on his shoulder. "We almost lost you, taichou."

"I am still here, Taka," he said flatly.

She nodded and said with a touch of pride, "Not many shinobi can claim to have lived after a one on one with Orochimaru. Let alone cut off his hand."

Itachi shook his head as the director rejoined them, "He was superior in almost every way. He was playing with me." They waited patiently in silence until the doors hissed open and Agent Gibbs and his team walked through, accompanied by Doctor Mallard.

They stood for several moments, all of them looking Itachi over critically and he almost bristled under their scrutiny. _Do they think I can't take care of myself_?

Director Shepard intervened a moment later, "Did you find Ari?"

"No," Gibbs growled. "Bastard's gone underground. Most of his cell is dead, though, so at least they won't be happy with him."

"We'll alert Mossad soon," she said with a glint in her eye. She turned back to Itachi and Hawk. "Weasel, Hawk, this is Special Agent Gibbs."

They each nodded to him and Itachi was careful to keep his face blank in the absence of his ANBU mask. "Special Agents Todd, McGee, and DiNozzo." They nodded to each as they were introduced even though they were already familiar with the agents from their profiles.

Gibbs came right out and said what he wanted to, "What's going on, Jen?" His sentiments were echoed with curious glances from the rest of his team but Itachi just waited.

"What I'm about to tell you is something that you should have never discovered. This secret is extremely well protected and only a small number of people are aware of this."

She glanced back at Itachi and seemed to see what she needed in his gaze, for she continued, "ANBU Weasel and ANBU Hawk are ninja. They, and other ninja from their village, have been hired by the government as a special forces branch of the military."

Gibbs looked completely flabbergasted and Itachi almost smirked. A moment later, Agent Todd spoke, "I've never heard of ninja working for the government."

Itachi answered, "Only the department heads or leaders of a military branch are permitted to know this. After they retire they are unable to recall anything of us. We value our privacy."

Gibbs was giving him a calculating look that he didn't care for, "So you're black ops?"

"You could say that, yes," Hawk answered.

"What the hell is a kid doing running black ops missions?" Gibbs followed angrily.

Hawk took a step forward at the challenge to her captain but Itachi put a hand on her arm and pulled her back, "In our village you are considered an adult after you graduate from the academy. I graduated at seven. I have been doing missions since then and entered ANBU almost a year ago. Now I am a captain. I am not a child." His tone was deceivingly calm but his eyes flashed and Gibbs reluctantly conceded the point.

"What academy?" Agent DiNozzo asked curiously, although his eyes were serious.

Hawk answered slowly, unwilling to give too much information, "The academy is where we are trained to harness our skills. After graduation we are placed in a three-man cell and trained more rigorously as a group. After passing an exam we move up a rank and can perform more difficult missions.

"At that point we can focus on our individual mentalities and move ahead as we wish. Not everyone needs to move up to the next rank. If we pass the next exam we can go on solo missions, take on students, and be recruited into ANBU. ANBU are the elite and complete the most dangerous missions. Only Hokage-sama is above the ANBU in skills."

They only looked more confused but Itachi didn't clarify anything, instead he stayed silent and let them choose their questions. He and Hawk had agreed earlier that as long as they were careful it wouldn't matter how much the agents learned; they'd have their memories erased as soon as this blew over anyway.

"How early do you enter the academy?"

"What's a Hokage-sama?"

"Are those the skills we saw earlier?"

Itachi blew out a breath, _maybe it would have been easier to clarify on my own._

Hawk stepped in first, "Children voluntarily enter the academy at age six. The normal graduation age is twelve." Itachi saw Gibbs' eyebrows raise in shock but he remained silent.

"The skills we referred to are the techniques that we can perform by harnessing our innate chakra. In the academy we learn what it is and how to control it. Some families, like Weasel's, are almost all ninja, so some students enter the academy with this knowledge already. After graduating our sensei tailors what techniques we focus on as we develop our own style of fighting." She paused and said slowly, _"Hokage-sama_ is our leader. He's the strongest and wisest shinobi in the village."

Itachi broke in when he saw another problem, "The villages originated in what you call Asia. We lived there for hundreds of years before you started expanding. Much of our culture, including our language, is most similar to the region of Japan. We continue to use many of the terms and names that we did at the beginning to honor our history. _Sama_ is a title of great respect. So our Hokage, Minato Namikaze, is addressed as Namikaze-sama or Hokage-sama, to show his position the proper respect."

Their faces cleared a little but then Gibbs spoke, "Are there are other titles? You have code names that correspond to an animal, but there's no title attached even though you hold a high rank." Itachi blew out a quiet breath, _He's very observant_.

"You are correct, Agent Gibbs," he allowed. "When speaking with close friends, family, or those of a similar rank it is appropriate to leave off a title to show familiarity. Addressing a stranger with no title is rude. A neutral title of _san_ is usually permitted."

He saw Gibbs' eyes widen again, but Agent Todd asked, "What are the other titles?" Hawk answered that while Itachi watched Agent Gibbs closely, "There are many. It is appropriate to call someone by their family name with _san _attached in almost every case. Familiarity allows for use of someone's first name with a less formal title of _kun _or _chan_. _Kun_ can be attached to a young boy's name to show closeness, the same for girls with _chan_."

Hawk's voice changed to a smirk, "They can also be used by adults who are dating or married, but once adulthood has been reached it is more widely acceptable to address them with _san. _There are other titles that can be attached to a name to show a relationship, not all of them are for respect. Some are for insults. Others, like _sensei_, _taichou_, or _senpai_ are for our teachers or leaders in the field._"_

Gibbs had kept Itachi's gaze the entire time and said finally, "Orochimaru called you Itachi-kun. But you only called him Orochimaru." Itachi mentally cursed Gibbs for recalling that detail.

His voice was forced, "There is a certain unpleasant history between myself and Orochimaru. As a rule I do not deliberately disrespect shinobi who are stronger than I, so I did not address him with a title, as is fitting of a traitor." He swallowed, his hand curling into a fist as he continued, "His use of a title of such familiarity, meant for young boys, was an insult and a reminder of that history."

Gibbs didn't respond and the rest of his team was silent as well. Doctor Mallard was giving him a piercing look and Itachi resisted the urge to squirm under it.

Director Shepard filled the silence, "With the presence of Orochimaru and his apparent interest in Ari, Weasel has decided that his team will remain here for the time being. He and Hawk will be with you and your team, Jethro, until Ari is caught and Orochimaru is no longer an issue."

The agents looked surprised at that and Agent DiNozzo said sarcastically to Itachi, "Shouldn't you be resting?"

Itachi was genuinely confused, "Why?"

Agent DiNozzo fell silent, an incredulous look on his face.

Doctor Mallard stepped in, his voice hard, "You were stabbed. You have multiple injuries that need time to heal and stitches that need to be cared for. At the very least I insist on one week of rest, no matter what other supernatural healing you demonstrate."

Itachi answered with a neutral voice although his eyes sparked, "I am recovered enough. Hawk is a sufficient healer and you repaired the rest. My chakra is already replenishing itself. There is no reason for me not to participate further in this mission."

That shocked everyone silent and he was confused at their pitying looks, _surely they don't expect me to withdraw from the mission because of this?_

"Madam Director," he turned to her. "Should you require proof of my fitness I am willing to oblige. But I will not be removed from duty." His voice was steel and the director replied just as firmly, "That won't be necessary, Weasel. Hawk informed me earlier of your recovery. I see no reason to remove you from the roster as long as your performance does not suffer."

Her eyes told a different story but Itachi was satisfied. Gibbs was not, "What the hell do you mean, Jen? He was stabbed with a sword and used as a punching bag! Send him home."

"Agent Gibbs," Director Shepard said loudly, motioning to Itachi and Hawk to let her handle it. "Until Bear and Dragon return, Hawk and Weasel will be your shadows. They will accompany you any time you leave. And you are all to wear protective vests outside of the base. This is not negotiable."

Gibbs glared at her angrily and then turned his gaze on Itachi. He met the stare levelly until Gibbs turned away and stomped out of the room.

His agents followed behind quickly, except for Agent Todd and Agent McGee cast a curious look back at them. She stepped forward and held out her hand.

He grasped it lightly, unsure as to her intentions.

She smiled brightly, "I wanted to thank you for saving my life." She paused and then added, "Weasel-san."

He gave her a small nod to show she had added the appropriate title, and she gave him a smile and continued, "Please don't throw yours away needlessly." She dropped her hand and gave them all a respectful nod before joining the other agents on the elevator.

Director Shepard sighed softly before addressing them, "I will not accept anything less than complete awareness while overseeing this mission, Weasel. If you are not fit for duty you will inform me now."

He shook his head, his eyes hard and serious, "I will perform my duty as you have requested. No harm will come to them."

Satisfied, she left the room as well with a nod to both of them. Doctor Mallard remained, his face a mix of emotions and he spoke softly to Hawk, "Would you mind giving us a moment?"

Hawk glanced at him and he nodded his agreement, "Go with Director Shepard." She nodded and disappeared.

Doctor Mallard took several steps back, his mouth opened in surprise. Itachi waited in silence for him to recover. The doctor shook his head lightly and stepped forward, placing his hands on Itachi's shoulder and looking him in the eyes.

"My boy," he said seriously. "I can understand your dedication to this mission. It is admirable. But it would be in your best interest to rest for a couple of days. You know better than anyone what your body needs. Don't ignore it if it's telling you to rest."

Itachi shook his head, his voice strong and quiet, "Believe me, Doctor Mallard, when I say that I know my limits very well. I have recovered from worse than this but that is not the point. The mission must come first above any individual. As long as I am not dead or seriously incapacitated then I am honor bound to my village and to myself to see it through."

He gently lowered the doctor's hands from his shoulders and lightly jumped from the autopsy table, his face not giving away anything. Doctor Mallard took a step back and Itachi, too, disappeared from the room to join Hawk in the director's office.

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Kuma= Bear

Tatsu=Dragon

Taka=Hawk

Inu=Dog

Not sure how I did with the use of suffixes in Japanese. Wikipedia has a better understanding, but the explanation I gave is the way I've come to understand it as far as the Naruto world is concerned.

Almost done.

Always

Sinkme


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

Maintenance:

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

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Gibbs was single mindedly focused on finding Ari. If he let his mind wander he would be back on that rooftop, realizing that Kate had come a hair's breadth away from being killed. That the man and that kid had been fighting in ways that he knew were impossible.

He'd see the kid being stabbed again. See him fall, blood pouring from the wound in his chest. See him laid out, small and pale, on Ducky's autopsy table.

There he went again. He growled and ran his hands over his face. He looked up to see that his agents were similarly distracted. It had been two hours and they had had no word about the kid.

The elevator dinged and Ducky walked out. Gibbs stood immediately, the rest of his team turned as well to address the doctor. McGee had been filled in on everything and after hearing that even Gibbs believed what he saw, he was no longer skeptical as to the validity of Tony's claims about the kid.

Ducky walked over to Gibbs' desk and gave them a small smile, "He'll be fine. Director Shepard needed a moment alone with them so I came to deliver the good news."

Gibbs' face fell with relief and his agents looked similarly happy. "He's really ok?" Kate asked, just to be sure. "He will be, no doubt. His friend had the most unusual talent and she healed his wound."

Kate's face scrunched up, "Healed his wound?" "Yes, the stab wound that the boy received below his right ribcage. I can't imagine the damage it didbut the blood loss alone was significant. He almost died after you all left the room but her hands-" Ducky broke off, his eyes clouded with remembrance.

"Her hands glowed green. She placed them on his wound," He mirrored what she had done and placed his hands on Gibbs' chest, where the stab wound would have been on the boy. "It took almost thirty minutes but when she removed her hands the wound was healed." He looked mystified and awed.

McGee broke in skeptically, "She magically healed a near fatal wound?"

Ducky's voice turned lightly scolding, "Don't you think I would have checked, Timothy? It took an enormous amount of energy from her and she had to lie down for close to an hour before she could stand again, but the wound was closed. I could detect no internal damage, and it had closed and formed a scar on both sides of the wound."

Gibbs flinched at the reminder of the severity of the wound. "It was like nothing I'd ever seen before." Gibbs privately thought that Ducky was taking this better than he had when he saw the things that the kid could do, but then again, it was Ducky.

"So he'll be ok?" Kate asked again. "Yes, my dear," Ducky affirmed. "I had to stitch up several of his cuts after his friend was done and I am concerned about some of the other damage, particularly to his ribs and throat, but nothing should prove to be a problem in the long run."

"What happened to his throat?" McGee asked. Ducky pursed his lips and explained the damage, "There is significant bruising and it's sure to be painful for some time. The trauma indicates it was most likely-"

Gibbs answered McGee before Ducky got too wound up, "It was an open handed chop." He demonstrated lightly on DiNozzo and Tony flinched slightly.

"I assume then that the damage to his ribs was from a similar attack?" Ducky asked. Kate gave a confirming nod, "It was a fight. He was kicked in the chest a couple of times."

"Right," Ducky looked like he didn't want to know and McGee looked less confused as he filled in some of the blanks that Tony had left.

"Well our young friend will be resting for quite some time after this, not to worry," Ducky said lightly.

Gibbs turned when he felt his phone buzzing, "Gibbs."

"Jethro. Bring Ducky and your team down to Autopsy. It's time to get your answers," Jen said coolly. A snap at the other end signified the end of the conversation and Gibbs turned back to his team. "Down to Autopsy. You too, Duck."

They packed into the elevator and walked through the doors to the autopsy room a moment later. The first thing Gibbs did was look for the kid. To his surprise the boy was sitting up on one of the autopsy tables. His teammate was close by, but Gibbs was more focused on the boy.

He looked better than Gibbs would have thought he'd look two weeks after sustaining the injuries he had. His chest was bare, as were his feet. He only wore long black pants, and his armor and weapons were piled on another table.

Gibbs looked him over with a critical eye. The stab wound to his chest looked exactly like Ducky had said. It appeared healed. There were patches of gauze on his chest and back over the wound but they weren't stained with blood and the kid didn't seem to be overly favoring that side.

If anything his other injuries looked worse. His throat and one side of his ribs were bruised a deep purple, and his arms and were covered with little bits of gauze and tape that Gibbs knew hid stitches. There were smaller cuts that had clear bandages on them as well.

The kid was pale and he looked tired, but Gibbs was amazed at what a couple of hours had done. _Ducky was right. _

He looked the kid over once more and stilled when he noticed there were patches of skin that had scarred. They appeared to be from old wounds, and they were closed and had healed with time, but there were too many for them to all be from childhood accidents.

Gibbs could tell that Ducky already knew, because the doctor put one hand lightly on Gibbs' arm, a clear message. _We'll talk about it later_. Gibbs gave him a small nod back and reluctantly tore his gaze away from the boy.

Jen filled the silence when it was clear no one else would speak, "Did you find Ari?"

"No," Gibbs growled. "Bastard's gone underground. Most of his cell is dead, though, so at least they're not happy with him."

"We'll alert Mossad soon," she said with a look in her eye that Gibbs couldn't place. She addressed the kid and his teammate. "Weasel," the boy looked more alert. "Hawk," his teammate straightened. "This is Special Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded back to each of them. _So they are code names._ "Special Agents Todd, McGee, and DiNozzo," Jen continued and his team greeted them as well.

Gibbs didn't feel like beating around the bush anymore, "What's going on, Jen?"

He saw Jenny's face freeze and her voice was more serious than he had heard her for awhile, "What I'm about to tell you is something that you should have never discovered. This secret is extremely well protected and only a small number of people are aware of this."

She turned to look at the boy but his face remained blank, and she continued, "ANBU Weasel and ANBU Hawk are ninja. They, and other ninja from their village, have been hired by our government as a special forces branch of the military."

Gibbs didn't attempt to stop his jaw from dropping. _Ninja? Working for the government? How the hell do they keep this a secret?_

Kate spoke for the rest of them, "I've never heard of ninja working for the government." Gibbs heard the skeptical tone and wondered as well. _Kate used to protect the President. Surely the Secret Service would have been made aware of ninja working for the government._

The boy answered, "Only the department heads or leaders of a military branch are permitted to know this. After they retire they are unable to recall anything of us. We value our privacy."

Gibbs made the first connection that made any sense to him, "So you're black ops?"

The woman- Hawk- answered, "You could say that, yes."

That was all Gibbs needed, "What the hell is a kid doing running black ops missions?" he yelled angrily.

Hawk took a step towards him but Gibbs didn't back down. Weasel pulled her back and answered in a quiet but hard voice. "In our village you are considered an adult after you graduate from the academy. I graduated at seven. I have been doing missions since then and entered ANBU almost a year ago. Now I am a captain. I am not a child."

Gibbs still didn't like it, but he couldn't argue that the kid was skilled and the flash in his eyes reminded him that this was no ordinary boy. He didn't press the point, and was grateful when DiNozzo asked, "What academy?"

He stayed silent, secretly curious about these people. These ninja.

The woman answered hesitantly, and Gibbs got the feeling that she was choosing what she revealed and screening her words carefully. "The academy is where we are trained to harness our skills. After graduating we are paced in a three-man cell and trained more rigorously as a group. After passing an exam we move up a rank and can perform more difficult missions.

"At that point we can focus on our individual mentalities and move ahead as we wish. Not everyone needs to move to the next rank. If we pass the next exam we can go on solo missions, take on students, and be recruited into ANBU. ANBU are the elite and complete the most dangerous missions. Only Hokage-sama is above the ANBU in skills."

Gibbs digested the information, chewing it over, and found he only had more questions. Apparently his team had the same idea because they all asked something at the same time.

"How early do you enter the academy?"

"What's a Hokage-sama?"

"Are those the skills we saw earlier?"

He saw both Weasel let out a sigh and Hawk shifted her balance on her feet uncomfortably. She answered first after a moment, "Children voluntarily enter the academy at age six. The normal graduation age is twelve."

Gibbs stiffened at the implication and he felt Ducky's alarm as well. _Trained from age six? And Weasel accomplished in one year what they usually take six years to learn._

Hawk continued, "The skills we referred to are the techniques that we can perform by harnessing our innate chakra. In the academy we learn what it is and how to control it. Many families, like Weasel's, are almost all ninja, so some students enter the academy with this knowledge already.

"After graduating our sensei tailors what techniques we focus on as we develop our own style of fighting." She paused for a moment and Gibbs thought she sounded mildly irritated, "_Hokage-sama_ is our leader. He's the strongest and wisest shinobi in the village."

Before Gibbs could ask one of the questions that _that _explanation that raised, the boy stepped in. "The villages originated in what you call Asia. We lived there for hundreds of years before you started expanding. Much of our culture, including our language, is most similar to the region of Japan. We continue to use many of the terms and names that we did at the beginning to honor our history. _Sama_ is a title of great respect. So our Hokage, Minato Namikaze, is addressed as Namikaze-sama, or Hokage-sama, to show his position the proper respect."

Gibbs nodded, he understood the importance of showing respect where it was due, but he was curious, "Are there other titles? You have code names that correspond to animals, but there's no title attached even though you hold a high rank."

He saw Weasel blink and thought briefly that he had caught him off guard, but the boy answered calmly. "You are correct, Agent Gibbs. When speaking with close friends, family, or those of a similar rank it is appropriate to leave off a title to show familiarity. Addressing a stranger with no title is rude, though. A neutral title of _san_ is usually permitted."

He understood that as well, and thought back to the fight he had seen and how Orochimaru had interacted with Weasel. They had seemed familiar with each other. Were there other significant titles? Even between enemies?

Kate asked the question he wanted to, "What are the other titles?"

Hawk answered and Gibbs listened closely, but his eyes didn't wander from Weasel's. The boy was watching him awfully closely.

"There are many. It is appropriate to call someone by their family name with _san_ attached in almost every case. Familiarity allows for the use of someone's first name with a less formal title of _kun _or_ chan_. _Kun_ can be attached to a young boy's name to show closeness, the same for girls with _chan_."

Hawk continued, but Gibbs had stopped listening. He was back on the roof and Orochimaru was talking to the boy. He'd called him Itachi-kun. The title _kun_ that Hawk had just described sounded the same and the explanation fit the way it had been used. So Itachi was probably the kid's name.

He kept Itachi's gaze until Hawk finished her explanation, and then he said, "Orochimaru called you Itachi-kun. But you only called him Orochimaru."

Now he knew that he had made the kid uncomfortable. It was almost bizarre to see the irritation and anger flit over the boy's face but he recovered a moment later, making Gibbs question whether it had even been there at all.

Itachi's voice was level but cold and his gaze was sharp when he answered, "There is a certain unpleasant history between myself and Orochimaru. As a rule I do not deliberately disrespect shinobi who are stronger than I, so I did not address him with a title, as is fitting of a traitor."

_A traitor? Is that part of the history they share?_

Itachi continued, and Gibbs saw that his hands were clenched in his lap. "His use of a title of such familiarity, meant for young boys, was an insult and a reminder of that history."

Gibbs felt a moment of shame for making the kid tell them something that was obviously very private. Jen stepped in once more, "With the presence of Orochimaru and his apparent interest in Ari, Weasel has decided that his team will remain here for the time being. He and Hawk will be with you and your team, Jethro, until Ari is caught and Orochimaru is no longer an threat."

Tony spoke for the surprise that everyone else was feeling, "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Why?" Itachi answered, and Gibbs was amazed to see that the kid was genuinely confused. DiNozzo's face fell, not understanding his confusion.

Ducky stepped in, his voice entirely serious and no trace of his usual smile, "You were stabbed. You have multiple injuries that need time to heal and stitches that need to be cared for. At the very least I insist on one week of rest, no matter what other supernatural healing you demonstrate."

Itachi's voice was hard and flat, "I am recovered enough. Hawk is a sufficient healer and you repaired the rest. My chakra is already replenishing itself. There is no reason for me not to participate further in this mission."

They were shocked silent once more and Gibbs was cursing whoever trained him in that damned academy. _They must brainwash them. Train them from the time they're six to fight? To disregard their health and safety for a mission? It's inhuman!_

"Madam Director," Itachi continued, and something pulled at Gibbs' mind but he didn't follow the new thought. "Should you require proof of my fitness I am willing to oblige. But I will not be removed from duty."

Gibbs expected that Jenny, at least, would do something, but he was let down. "That won't be necessary, Weasel. Hawk informed me earlier of your recovery. I see no reason to remove you from the roster as long as your performance does not suffer."

He couldn't even look at Jen he was so furious, _this isn't a kid who sprained his ankle and wants to play in the next game! He was almost killed and he's asking to be sent back to die when he's barely had five hours to recover from round one._

"What the hell do you mean, Jen?" Gibbs' voice was loud and full of disbelief. "He was stabbed with a sword and used as a punching bag! Send him home."

"Agent Gibbs," Jen replied loudly. "Until Bear and Dragon return, Hawk and Weasel will be your shadows. They will accompany you any time you leave. And you are all to wear protective vests outside of the base. This is not negotiable."

He glared fiercely at her and then turned to Itachi. The damn kid met his gaze stoically, not even batting an eye. He turned and stomped out of the room, unable to be there and contain his temper any longer.

He felt everyone else follow him out of autopsy and Kate joined them a moment later as they piled into the elevator. As the doors closed he noticed that Ducky and Jen were still there but he turned his mind away from it for the moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kuma= Bear

Tatsu=Dragon

Taka=Hawk

So close…

Always

Sinkme


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

Maintenance

_Thought_

"Normal speaking"

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Gibbs strode into the bullpen only to stop suddenly when he noticed someone else was there. A young woman, probably in her late twenties, sat at Kate's desk.

She had dark brown hair and eyes that matched and although her posture was relaxed, Gibbs could tell that she was coiled for action.

"Agent Gibbs?" she questioned when she saw him.

"What?" he asked rudely, in no mood to put up with anything else today.

She stood gracefully and stuck out her hand, "Ziva David."

He just glared at her. After a moment and a glare of her own she withdrew her hand. "I am looking for Jen. I was given to understand that she would be expecting me."

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and said, "Kate. Take Miss David to the director."

"No need, Jethro," a voice called from above. He looked up to see Jenny walking down the stairs. "I barely had a minute to get off the elevator before I heard."

He watched as Jenny approached the newcomer, a warm smile on her face.

"Shalom, Jen," Ziva said, and they embraced. Jen returned the greeting, "It's been too long, my friend."

Jen turned back to Gibbs and he looked at her expectantly. "Ziva and I used to run counter-terrorist ops in Europe. She will be joining your team for the duration of your investigation."

"Why?" DiNozzo asked as he looked her over. He was curious, far too curious in Gibbs' opinion, of this woman.

"Consider her a loan from Israel," Jen said with a small smile.

"Mossad?" Gibbs asked, directing the question to Ziva.

She nodded, "I am Officer Haswari's control officer."

Gibbs' remark was cut off by Tony's sarcastic, "Well you're doing a terrific job."

Ziva blinked, "I disagree. Ari has become a liability and I did not see it coming. According to Jen there is no evidence to suggest that this is only to maintain his cover."

Tony's jaw dropped at her lack of comprehension and Kate smiled a little and offered, "Well, you're here now, so we can work together to catch him."

"Thank you, Agent Todd" Ziva said, and took the offered hand. Gibbs' brow furrowed.

"How do you know her name?" he demanded.

Ziva looked back to Jen, who answered for her, "She profiled you for Ari. After your first run in, it was necessary to know more about you in case Ari brushed up against NCIS again."

"What?" Gibbs asked dangerously. "He almost killed Kate earlier." His eyes widened in understanding, although the rest of his team was oblivious to his revelation.

He put a hand on Ziva's shoulder and steered her towards the elevator, "A moment alone. Now."

Ziva didn't look at all put out and Jen didn't try to stop him, although he could feel her gaze boring into his back.

She followed him into the elevator and remained silent as the doors shut. Once the elevator started to move he flipped the switch and it halted, the lights going out.

"You profiled me and my team?"

"Yes."

"How much do you know?"

"About whom?" she replied coyly.

He growled, knowing that Mossad had the connection and the means to dig into places that no one wanted unearthed. "Me."

"I know a lot about you, Agent Gibbs," she answered.

"You found out about my wife and daughter?" he asked, and he couldn't keep the pain out of his voice or his face when he mentioned them.

Her gaze softened and she replied quietly, "Yes."

"It was in your profile that you gave to Ari?" he continued.

"Everything I found I put in the reports," she said. "At the time there was no reason to suspect anything and it was a viable request since he already had an incident with your team."

Gibbs stared at her, knowing that she was right and that it wasn't her fault, but hating that she had helped Ari.

"He almost killed Kate," he repeated. "He should have been aiming for me but it was her instead."

Ziva nodded in understanding, "You think he is going after your team to hurt you." Gibbs nodded.

She shook her head, her hands coming up and curling into fists and then she threw them back down to her sides, "I do not know what Ari would do anymore." She said quietly.

"How did I miss this?" She whispered, turning away from Gibbs.

He watched her carefully, not sure if her reaction was that of an officer who had failed their assignment with disastrous effects, or something else. She seemed more upset than mad, but he couldn't read her very well.

Something had been bothering him so he shifted the conversation, "How did you know that Ari was a traitor?"

"I did not leave for America with the belief that Ari had betrayed me- us. Had betrayed us," she corrected herself, not giving Gibbs a chance to jump on the slip.

"I was ordered by the director to come here and pull him out. It was the director's belief that Ari had been here too long. We had seen no results and the director has now terminated the mission.

"I landed earlier today and contacted Jen because of NCIS's history with Ari. And because she is a friend. She had contacted me several days ago and informed me of certain events which I was previously unaware." She cut off, looking more than a little pissed, and Gibbs didn't push her.

"She told me to come to NCIS and on my way here she called again to inform me of what happened on the roof with Agent Todd," her eyes hardened. "I have no doubt now that Ari was planning to betray us from the beginning."

She swallowed and every investigative sense that Gibbs had developed from his time as an agent was ringing. He wanted to press her for more information, knowing that she knew more and that there was more to all of this.

But he had to remind himself that she was Mossad. Putting their shaky alliance aside, he was loath to push her anymore in case she lashed out.

As it turned out, he didn't have to make a choice. With a deep breath and an exhale, Ziva was back in control. Her eyes were focused and her body radiated energy.

"What leads do you have?"

He flipped the switch and sent the elevator back to their floor. "We'll regroup now. I want whatever information you have on Ari. I wanna catch this bastard soon."

"You will have to beat me there," she answered coolly as she slipped past him out of the elevator. "I have orders to kill him at the first opportunity. And I do not miss."

He shook his head, a grin pulling at the edge of his mouth, and followed her back to his desk. McGee, DiNozzo, Kate, and Jen were still there and they waited expectantly.

"What've we got?" he asked. They looked at him blankly before erupting into motion.

He focused on his team, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Jen move closer to Ziva and whisper something. Ziva shook her head and whispered back.

DiNozzo spoke first, "Cops picked up the bodies on the roof and taped off the scene. Apparently there was an explosion on the roof?"

Jen walked back and said, "Yes. That's why the roof caved in. Isn't that right, Agent DiNozzo?"

Tony looked at her for a moment and then smiled, catching on, "Right. The explosion. Anyway. Bodies are being sent to Ducky now."

Kate picked up, "Their cars are being sent as well as ours, and evidence from Ari's sniper nest is being processed by Abby."

"McGee," Gibbs called.

McGee looked lost, his eyes darting back and forth between DiNozzo and Kate, who were smirking, "Um, I'll run the plates on their cars?"

"Do it. Check their id's once Abby confirms it. And call Danbourneand tell 'em we found their drone," Gibbs said. McGee nodded and got to typing. Gibbs beckoned to Ziva.

"Go over any information you have about Ari with Kate and DiNozzo," he said. Jen nodded her head in the direction of her office and he followed her up. They were silent until they were in her office and the doors had been closed.

Weasel and Hawk stepped out of the shadows and Gibbs almost jumped at their sudden appearance. "Madam Director. Agent Gibbs," Weasel said.

Gibbs nodded and noticed that the kid had put his mask back on, along with all of his gear and armor. He didn't resist the urge to scowl but no one reacted. "Yes Weasel?"

"We have received orders from Hokage-sama and were instructed to inform you of the change," he said tonelessly.

"And?" Jen said, and Gibbs got the feeling that this was often how their conversations played out.

"Hokage-sama has ordered my team to remain here for the time being and to work closely with Agent Gibbs' team. Jiraiya-sama is being sent for and he will be here within three days at the latest. He will be able to deal with Orochimaru better than us."

Hawk spoke up, "Hokage-sama doesn't think it's likely that Orochimaru would stick around, but we cannot take that chance. At least two of us will be with your team at all times. Kuma will return later but Tatsu will take longer."

Gibbs wasn't happy about being babysat by a kid, but he couldn't pretend that he didn't feel better about having some very qualified backup watching them with Ari gunning for his team.

"Fine," he said, wanting to get this over. "Jen, what's with David?"

"Ziva?" she asked, looking genuinely surprised. "What do you mean?"

He scowled, "C'mon Jen. What's she doing here?"

"As I'm sure she told you already, she's Ari's control officer. As such this sort of concerns her," she answered lightly.

"That's not what I meant. What does she know? She showed up today, coincidentally?" he looked skeptical.

"That's right," Jen said with a smile. "You don't believe in coincidences." She shook her head. "Ziva is a friend, we've worked ops together before and I know her. Upon assuming responsibility for this agency, I was made aware of her position as Ari's control officer. I contacted her discreetly and asked her what was going on. She was unaware of what had happened. She dug a little deeper and called me back the next day."

Here Jen broke off, her face flashing with anger, "It seemed that Director David had been keeping her in the dark about recent activities. Due to his deep cover, she hadn't had direct contact with Ari for some time. There was nothing she could have done."

"Director David?" Gibbs asked intently.

"Yes," Jenny's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"She's his daughter?" Gibbs demanded.

"Yes. His oldest daughter," Jen answered, and something in her eyes kept Gibbs from asking about his other children.

"She saved my life, you know," Jen said softly. Gibbs started at the revelation and the sudden topic shift. "In Cairo, two years ago." For the second time that day he held back from pushing for the answer he wanted so badly.

Jen didn't offer anything and instead took the conversation in another direction again, "Ziva is aware of the existence of ninja. Mossad occasionally brushes up against them, and there are a handful that work for them. As the director's daughter she has known of them for some time. If something were to happen involving them, she can handle herself.

"Other than that, do not mention Weasel or his team unnecessarily. We are sticking to an explosion on the roof. I was rather vague about Ari's attempt to murder Agent Todd. I'd prefer to keep it that way. Inform your team as well."

Gibbs just nodded and then took advantage of the silence, "I need a minute with Weasel, Jen."

Jen, to his surprise, looked like she had been expecting that, and nodded over his shoulder to Hawk. She disappeared and Jen walked to her door. "Five minutes, Jethro," she said, closing the door behind her.

Weasel, appearing to sense the atmosphere, removed his mask but remained silent.

Gibbs took a step closer so that he was directly in front of Weasel, and he perched on the end of Jenny's desk so he didn't tower over the kid. "I don't like this."

Weasel frowned lightly, "You are not required to."

Gibbs allowed the smirk to come, "So how old are you, Itachi?"

The kid jumped at the name, his eyes narrowed, but he replied, "Itachi is Japanese for Weasel, my code name. And I am thirteen."

Gibbs nodded but didn't trust himself to say anything for several minutes. Something about his name didn't sit right with him, but he liked the sound of 'Itachi' better than 'Weasel' so he supposed it didn't matter.

Itachi watched him curiously and then offered, "Age does not matter in my village. I have noticed that your children do not fight, though. Do not mistake me for an innocent teenager. I have been trained for this since the moment I could walk. It was the reason for my birth."

Gibbs was silent, mulling over everything the boy had revealed, "And your family?"

Something like appreciation lit up Itachi's eyes. "My family is an old clan. We have been in the village since before it was even a village. My father is shinobi and leads the Police Force. I am the prodigy of the clan, meant for great things as a member of the shinobi population."

Gibbs couldn't stay silent any longer, "I had a daughter." He said quietly. The kid watched him carefully, although he didn't look surprised. "She was eight when she and my wife were murdered. I can't imagine raising her and training her to be a killer."

"Then it is a good thing you were not put in that position. Contrary to your belief, Agent Gibbs, beginning the training early is the most humane way. Children can be trained to let go and coached through the steps much more easily than an adult who has had years of experience to teach him the opposite of what we do."

Gibbs could barely let himself see the twisted logic in the kid's statement before he continued, "In ANBU you have no name. You have no face. You have no emotions. There is no past. There is no future. There is only the mission."

There was nothing Gibbs could say to that and the boy seemed content to let the silence ring until Gibbs had recovered. "I don't like it," he repeated firmly. "Nothing about this is ok."

"You only have a problem with the idea because you perceive me as you would a child of your world. You must let this go. Taka and I will be your backup until Tatsu and Kuma return. You know I am capable."

Gibbs nodded reluctantly, "I don't think I thanked you for saving Kate's life." He looked him in the eye and said carefully, "I know you're capable. That's not the issue."

Itachi replied firmly, "That's the only issue that matters."

Gibbs smiled ruefully, "I guess I'll just have to learn to live with it then."

"That would be easiest for the moment," Itachi agreed with a smirk.

"Fine," Gibbs said, and stuck out a hand. Itachi gripped it firmly and they shook. "Then let's catch these bastards."

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Taka=Hawk

Tatsu=Dragon

Kuma=Bear

Not one hundred percent sure on Kelly's age. Tried to double check, I think it was 8. Whatever.

Also- couldn't find the ANBU code or whatever it is. I made this one up using some of what I could find online from ROOT's code.

That's all for now, folks. I'm leaving this open so I can continue if the mood strikes, but I'd love to hear your input or any ideas you have for future chapters/ stories.

Thanks!

Always

Sinkme


End file.
